Prominent Palestinian activist slams US sanctions as ‘madness’

A well-known Palestinian activist from Europe has criticized the US for imposing sanctions on him, calling it “an attempt to deter him from continuing my work for Palestine and defending my people’s rights.”

Majed al-Zeer, a dual British and Jordanian national, also rejected the accusations cited in the sanctions as “absolutely false”.

“It is madness”, he told Al Jazeera on Thursday. “It affects my life socially, my career, for the sake of accusation. There is no proof whatsoever”.

Al-Zeer stated in a statement that earlier this week he learned about the sanctions. On Monday, the US Department of the Treasury identified al-Zeer as one of three individuals sanctioned for alleged ties to the Palestinian group Hamas, which it called a “terrorist” organisation.

The Treasury accused al-Zeer, who lives in the UK and Germany, of being a “senior Hamas representative” who played&nbsp, “a central role in the terrorist group’s European fundraising”.

But al-Zeer, the chairman of the European-Palestinian Council for Political Relations, refuted that accusation in a press release on Thursday.

He later explained to Al Jazeera that he had never been involved in any financial activities while active in Europe, even when he was the leader of the UK-based Palestinian Return Centre.

“Israel just doesn’t want any activists to work for the sake of Palestine. That’s the whole story”, he said.

A reflection of US-Israel relations?

For al-Zeer, the US’s decision is a reflection of its “broader alignment” with Israel.

Since Israel’s founding in 1948, the US has always supported the country with allegiance. Despite Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has raised concerns about human rights violations and casualties for civilians, that support has continued.

In his press release, al-Zeer wrote, “I am deeply perplexed by the approach taken to come up with this decision and announce it by a nation that supposedly prides itself on legal integrity.”

The sanctions were announced on October 7, the anniversary of Hamas’s attack on southern Israel, which killed an estimated 1, 139 people.

Israel’s response in Gaza, meanwhile, has killed nearly 42, 000 Palestinians in the year since.

The Treasury will continue to degrade Hamas and other destabilizing Iranian proxies’ ability to finance their operations and engage in additional violent acts, according to Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen in a statement as we approach the year since Hamas’ brutal terrorist attack.

Al-Zeer, three other people, and nine other businesses, were found guilty of “critical roles” in Hamas’ external fundraising, frequently done under the guise of charitable work, according to the US Treasury.

The two other designated individuals work for Palestinian advocacy organizations in Italy and Austria. Additionally, the Treasury Department designated a former Yemeni politician and his businesses as his residence.

‘ Laughable ‘ evidence

People in the US are preventing them from doing business with them because of the sanctions’ effective freezing of the four men’s US assets.

The Treasury Department will use all of its means of communication, including those who seek to elude attempts to seize additional revenue sources, to hold Hamas and its supporters accountable, according to Yellen.

US sanctions have been put in place against Hamas financial support in recent rounds. Additionally, it has authorized a small number of Israeli settlers and organizations that support illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Monday’s sanctions were not the first time al-Zeer was accused of being a Hamas operative. In 2019, he won a legal case after World-Check, an influential customer-screening database used by banks, categorised him as linked to “terrorism”.

Al-Zeer claimed that the US sanctions referenced a photo of him with late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who Israel killed in Iran earlier this year.

He claimed, however, that Sir Gerald Kaufman, one of the British Labour leaders, was one of the larger delegations that were assembled in the photo. “It is almost laughable”, he said of the evidence.

Source: Aljazeera