The US Treasury Department issued a decision to include a number of human rights and religious organizations and active figures on the international sanctions list. The list included the 'Palestinian Scholars Association' and the 'Samidoun' organization for the defense of prisoners, in addition to prominent activists in the 'Fleet of Steadfastness' seeking to break the siege on the Gaza Strip, allegedly due to these entities' association with activities related to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
The US State Department clarified in an official statement that these designations come within a strategy targeting three main categories that facilitate the funding and field activities of Palestinian movements. The department claimed that the targets include organizers of naval fleets, members of international networks supporting the resistance, and coordinators who act as political and organizational fronts for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Among the most prominent names included in the sanctions is Mohammed Al-Khatib, the European coordinator of the 'Samidoun' network and a resident of Belgium, who previously faced attempts by Belgian authorities to withdraw his refugee status. 'Samidoun' defines itself as an international network aimed at supporting Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons, but Washington accuses it of operating as an organizational and financial cover for politically prohibited activities in the US.
US sanctions also targeted Marwan Abu Ras, head of the Palestinian Scholars Association, in a move aimed at religious institutions and scholars associated with the Palestinian interior. The US administration believes that these institutions play a role in providing moral and logistical support for resistance programs, which Washington describes as a 'malign program' that hides behind humanitarian and social pretexts.
In a related context, activist Saif Abu Kashk, spokesman for the Fleet of Steadfastness, was added to the blacklist shortly after his detention by Israeli authorities off the coast of Greece. Abu Kashk was deported to Barcelona, Spain, after his arrest, where US and Israeli circles accuse him of direct coordination with Palestinian entities to break the naval restrictions imposed on Gaza.
For his part, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that attempts to operate naval fleets towards the Gaza Strip represent a challenge to the diplomatic efforts led by the US administration to achieve what he described as 'lasting peace'. Bessent affirmed that his department will continue to pursue and dismantle all global financial support networks used by Hamas in various countries around the world to ensure the drying up of its funding sources.
These sanctions entail strict legal and financial measures, including the freezing of all assets and properties belonging to the individuals and organizations mentioned within the jurisdiction of the United States. This decision also prohibits all American companies and financial institutions, or those dealing in dollars, from entering into any commercial or financial transactions with those listed.
The measure taken today highlights how Hamas exploits community organizations and religious institutions to advance its agenda.
שתף את דעתך
Washington Imposes Sanctions on 'Palestinian Scholars Association', 'Samidoun' Network, and Activists in the 'Fleet of Steadfastness'