GoFundMe, the fundraising platform, has removed a fundraiser for the designated terrorist group Addameer, following a warning from UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

UKLFI wrote to GoFundMe on 11 June 2025, pointing out that Addameer was designated by the US Treasury as a terrorist organization on 10 June 2025, and therefore any fundraising for them, by an America entity such as GoFundMe, is potentially subject to huge fines from the US authorities for breaching the sanctions, on a strict liability basis. The fundraiser was removed within a few hours.

UKLFI had jointly signed a letter to the US Treasury in February 2025,  requesting that Addameer, be designated as a terrorist group in the USA.  The letter was composed by The Zachor Legal Institute, an Israeli-American advocacy group that focuses on combatting antisemitism and terrorism.  44 groups had signed the letter, which relied in part on undisclosed evidence from the Israeli Security Agency in its call for sanctions on Addameer.

NGO Monitor has been researching and publishing reports on Addameer for many years.

The fundraiser hosted by GoFundMe on behalf of Addameer was for an Irish Theatre Group  which was staging  “an educational theatre production which shines a light on the human rights violations faced by Palestinian political prisoners.”

The US Treasury’s announcement on 10 June 2025 regarding the designation of Addameer, and some other individuals and entities said, in relation to Addameer:

Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Addameer), based in the West Bank, purports to represent the interests of Palestinian prisoners.  However, like the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (Samidoun) that OFAC designated on October 15, 2024 along with one of its leaders, Khaled Barakat (Barakat), Addameer has long supported and is affiliated with the PFLP. Additionally, in the spring of 2022, Barakat coordinated with the PFLP to send funds to Addameer and to arrange meetings between Addameer and Samidoun. 

The US Treasury warned that as a result of the designation, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.

It also cautioned that violations of US sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on US and foreign persons.  OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on a strict liability basis.

Caroline Turner, director of UKLFI, commented “We are pleased that the US Treasury has designated Addameer, and that this is likely to curb the influence of terrorism groups.”