Palestinian Group Hosts Terrorist Fundraising Event in Germany
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by Steven Emerson
In July 2014 in Berlin, demonstrators carry a picture of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and protest against the Israeli military’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. Photo: Boris Niehaus via Wikimedia Commons.
The Democratic Committee of Palestine hosted an event in Berlin on Saturday to raise money for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist group, according to the Berlin daily Tagesspiegl and as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
The event reportedly took place in the building that also hosts Neues Deutschland‘s publishing house — a socialist newspaper.
A recent NGO Monitor report outlined how several European governments fund organizations with PFLP links. The PFLP is a Marxist-Leninist terrorist organization designated as such by the EU and other Western states. These NGOs often justify attacks against Israeli civilians, and maintain ties to known terrorists.
According to the NGO Monitor report, PFLP operatives founded some of the listed organizations directly, while other groups include staff members who were convicted of terrorism-related charges by Israeli courts. These so-called human rights organizations are at the forefront for the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, while prominent individuals within some of the NGOs are known to promote violence and antisemitism.
Berlin Mayor Michael Müller faced criticism for not blocking the PFLP fundraiser; he also faced backlash for allowing Hezbollah sympathizers and members to participate in an annual al-Quds Day march in Berlin last month.
There are roughly 250 active Hezbollah operatives in Berlin, and a total of 950 Hezbollah members throughout Germany, according to a 2014 Berlin intelligence report summarized by the Jerusalem Post. In reality, the number of Hezbollah supporters in Germany is believed to be far higher.
While the European Union, including Germany, has designated Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist entity, Germany allows Hezbollah’s political wing to operate freely.
Now, as recent developments suggest, political and fundraising groups affiliated with Palestinian terrorist organizations appear to be tolerated in Germany as well.
