LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram have removed Zaher Birawi’s personal accounts after UKLFI interventions.  Mr Birawi, a prominent Palestinian-British journalist and activist, was designated by United States authorities on 21 January 2026.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) wrote to LinkedIn on 23 February 2026, informing them that Mr Birawi had been personally designated by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) a month earlier, on 21 January 2026, and yet his profile on the platform was still visible. UKLFI also informed Facebook and Instagram that his accounts on these platforms were illegal under US law.

Mr Birawi was, according to the US designation, one of the founders, and a member of the General Secretariat, of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), which was also designated by OFAC on 21 January.

The US announcement stated “Members of the PCPA General Secretariat, as well as those in leadership positions of the PCPA’s various regional bodies, especially any U.S. persons, should be aware of the sanctions risk they are incurring by any continued support to this now-sanctioned organization. 

“Zaher Khaled Hassan Birawi is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the PCPA.”

“The Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Hamas.”

The US announcement also explained that the PCPA is “a main organizer of recent flotillas that sought to break Israel’s security cordon around Gaza. The PCPA is also clandestinely acting on behalf of Hamas. As a front organization for Hamas, it operates in accordance with Hamas directives ….”

UKLFI warned LinkedIn that service providers could face exposure to sanctions if they provide services to designated or blocked persons under OFAC rules. Following UKLFI’s correspondence, Mr Birawi’s social media pages on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram have all disappeared.

Mr Birawi has made a statement, as set out in 5Pillars magazine and other media, rejecting his designation by the US. He said: “I categorically reject this designation and believe it is based on inaccurate information and lacks a sound legal foundation. I would also like to state clearly that, prior to the issuance of this decision, I was not contacted by any competent US authority, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of inquiry, verification, or to provide clarifications or supporting documents. This deprived me of the opportunity to exercise my fundamental right to respond and to correct any incorrect information.”

Birawi also denied that he participated in the PCPA’s founding conference and stated that he was elected to its General Secretariat during its first term (2017–2021), but had not held any role within the conference since then.

A UKLFI spokesperson commented: “Companies must ensure they comply with applicable sanctions regimes. Once an individual has been designated by OFAC, service providers who operate in the US face potential legal exposure if they continue to provide services. We therefore drew this matter to the platforms’ attention so they could assess their compliance obligations under U.S. law.”

SoundCloud removed PCPA’s account earlier after UKLFI drew its attention to PCPA’s designation.