Pressure from pro-Israel attorneys convinced PayPal to cutoff donations to the British social justice group War on Want due to alleged ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist group.
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) and the U.S. based Lawfare Project filed a complaint with the U.K. Charity Commission last month alleging that War on Want "misuses charitable funds to support terrorist organisations and promote political propaganda." It also acts "contrary to the public benefit as it stokes hatred of Israel and Jews and encourages antisemitism."
A War on Want partner, Addameer, includes many PFLP members. Among them is Sumoud Sa'adat, identified by the terrorist group as the daughter of PFLP General Secretary Ahmad Sa'adat.
The Lawfare Project and UKLFI pointed to a December 2016 War on Want project carried out in conjunction with Addameer called "Political Prisoners' Stories." It aimed to advance the PFLP's strategy of "using human rights forums" to promote a "national struggle," they said. The goal was to pressure Israel to release imprisoned PFLP comrades.
"Our relationship with Addameer ensures we can bring the latest news and reports affecting imprisoned Palestinians to our UK campaigns," War on Want's website says.
The PFLP originally was known for its pioneering of airline hijacking, but in recent years it has become a player in the international Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. BDS aims to isolate Israel economically and politically through a regime of boycotts and sanctions.
PFLP terrorists claimed responsibility for an attack on a West Jerusalem synagogue in December 2014.
War on Want also works with the BDS National Committee, which coordinates the international BDS movement. PFLP, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and Fatah participate in the BDS National Committee as members of the Council of National and Islamic Forces in Palestine.
"PayPal has decided to no longer allow its service to be abused by those who promote violence, lies and propaganda," Lawfare Project Director Brooke Goldstein said in a statement published online. "Congratulations to UKLFI on this result and to Paypal for taking a stand against the misuse of its platform."