A plea deal was presented to the military court in Judea and Samaria on Thursday in which defendant Juana Rashmawi admitted that she served as a fundraiser for an organization called the Union of Health Work Committees (UHWC), which operated on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) – a designated terrorist organization. The organization has been serving as a civilian arm of the PFLP, much like the Union of Agriculture Work Committees, the Bisan Center, Al-Haq, DCIP, and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees.
The defendant dealt extensively with fundraising for the PFLP. Donors, including countries around the world and international organizations, were systematically misled to fund a terrorist organization. The organization’s activities were a significant source of funding for the PFLP.
The indictment shows that the terrorist organizations purposefully conducted their operations under the guise of civilian activities that would serve as a cover for their training, fundraising, and other terror-supporting activities.
Below is a joint statement by Israel’s Defense and Foreign Ministers following the conviction of an activist who raised funds for the PFLP under the guise of human rights activities.
Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid: “The entire international community must work together with Israel to prevent terrorist organizations from operating in civilian frameworks and to prevent funds from reaching terrorist organizations.”
Defense Minister, Benny Gantz: “We will continue to respect human rights and the activities of human rights organizations. We will continue to operate against terrorism in all its forms, anywhere it takes place. The conviction demonstrates that the PFLP operates a network of ‘humanitarian’ organizations to raise funds that are funneled to terrorist activities.
“The State of Israel and the defense establishment respect human rights and respect the activities of human rights organizations that play an important role in any democratic society. The cynical use of human rights organizations as a cover is a ‘double sin’ – it fuels terror and also hurts organizations that do real, important work for civil society. We will continue to respect human rights and the activities of human rights organizations. [At the same time] we will continue to operate against terrorism in all its forms, anywhere it takes place.”
Foreign Minister Lapid: “The admission of guilt [by Juana Rashmawi] is further proof that a cynical and murderous terrorist organization has set up a network of lies and fraud that operates under the guise of humanitarian organizations as a conduit for the inflow of terrorist funds – deliberately misleading donors organizations and countries. The entire international community must work with Israel to prevent terrorist organizations from operating in civilian frameworks and to prevent aid funds from reaching terrorist organizations whose goal is to murder Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others.”