In a major victory for Canadian Jewish communities, leaders, and advocacy organizations, Samidoun—the Vancouver-based group also known as the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network—has been formally designated a terrorist entity by […]

The post Samidoun designated as a terrorist group by Canadian and U.S. governments appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.

An overwhelming majority of Americans support Israel over the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, according to a new Harvard-Harris poll.

The poll, conducted from Oct. 11-13, revealed that the American public wants Israel to prevail in its ongoing military campaign in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The data also indicated that the American people believe the Jewish state should continue to prosecute the war until it achieves its objectives, including the permanent removal of Hamas from the Gaza strip and the release of the remaining hostages kidnapped from southern Israel last October.

According to the poll, Americans support Israel over Hamas by a margin of 81-19 percent. This represents a slight uptick from September, when 79 percent of Americans indicated support for Israel over the terrorist organization. Among respondents that follow the war “closely,” 81 percent similarly indicated support for Israel and 19 percent support Hamas.

The poll also showed a generational divide on Israel. Americans over 65 support Israel over Hamas by a staggering margin of 94-6 percent. Those aged 35-44 support the Jewish state over the terrorist group by a margin of 74-26 percent. Young Americans aged 18-24 are far more divided on the conflict, with 57 percent supporting Israel and 43 percent supporting the Hamas terrorist group. 

The Jewish state also enjoys strong support across party lines, according to the poll. An overwhelming 85 percent of Republicans and 76 percent of Democrats said they support Israel. Meanwhile, 15 percent of Republicans and 24 percent of Democrats indicated they back Hamas. 

A commanding majority of voters also said they believe that Israel should strike a ceasefire deal with Hamas after it achieves its key military goals. Among respondents, 68 percent believe a ceasefire “should happen only after the release of all hostages and Hamas being removed from power.” Only 32 percent of Americans support an “unconditional ceasefire that would leave everything in place as is.”

Most Americans also believe that the Hamas terrorist group should no longer be allowed to run Gaza. According to the poll, 81 percent of Americans believe Hamas should be “removed from running Gaza.” In contrast, 19 percent believe the terrorist group should be “allowed to continue to run” the Palestinian enclave.

The polling results show that Israel enjoys robust support among the American public despite a barrage of media criticism leveled at the Jewish state.

The results came amid growing pressure on the Biden administration by far-left progressives to adopt a tougher posture against the Jewish state. However, the data suggests that adopting such an approach toward the Israel-Hamas war, such as imposing a US arms embargo on Israel, might harm the Democrats in November’s US elections.

According to the poll, Americans believe Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will be more “effective” on resolving the Israel-Hamas war than Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris by a margin of 47-37 percent.

The post More Than 8 in 10 Americans Support Israel Over Hamas, Harvard Poll Finds first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

The US and Canada announced on Tuesday that they jointly imposed sanctions on Samidoun, explaining that the prominent anti-Israel group has been operating as a “sham charity” fundraising for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an internationally designated terrorist group.

“Organizations like Samidoun masquerade as charitable actors that claim to provide humanitarian support to those in need, yet in reality divert funds for much-needed assistance to support terrorist groups,” Bradley Smith, the US Treasury Department’s acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement. “The United States, together with Canada and our like-minded partners, will continue to disrupt those who seek to finance the PFLP, Hamas, and other terrorist organizations.”

The US Treasury Department said in its announcement that the PFLP “uses Samidoun to maintain fundraising operations in both Europe and North America” and that it was also “designating” Khaled Barakat, a member of both Samidoun and the PFLP’s leadership.

“Together, Samidoun and Barakat play critical roles in external fundraising for the PFLP,” the department said.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government in a coordinated effort listed Samidoun as a terrorist entity under its Criminal Code.

“Canada remains committed to working with our key partners and allies, like the United States, to counter terrorist organizations and their fundraisers,” Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement. “Today’s joint action with the US sends a strong message that our two nations will not tolerate this type of activity and will do everything in our power to ensure robust measures are in place to address terrorist financing.”

Samidoun, which identifies itself as a “Palestinian prisoner solidarity network,” is a radical anti-Israel advocacy organization that has taken part in pro-Hamas protests across the West, including in the US, Canada, and countries in Europe.

Germany banned Samidoun, whose demonstrations in Berlin have featured cries of “Death to the Jews,” in the days following the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7.

Samidoun previously described the Oct. 7 atrocities as an act of “heroic Palestinian resistance” and recently hosted a webinar for a Hamas official who pledged that the Palestinian terrorist organization will repeat its slaughter of Israelis “again and again” to bring about the Jewish state’s “annihilation.”

However, Samidoun, which is based in Vancouver, Canada, purports to organize demonstrations, organize campaigns, and provide resources that inform the public on the supposed plight of Palestinian prisoners.

“We work to raise awareness and provide resources about Palestinian political prisoners, their conditions, their demands, and their work for freedom for themselves, their fellow prisoners, and their homeland,” the group claims on is website. 

The PFLP gained prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s for pioneering armed hijackings of airplanes and has also been involved in suicide bombings, shootings, and assassinations. For decades, the group has attacked Israeli and other Western targets. Just last year, the PFLP posted pictures and videos online showing its participation in and support of the Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel.

Samidoun and Barakat were sanctioned on Tuesday for “being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the PFLP,” according t the US Treasury Department.

As a result, any property or other entities they may own or have interest in, directly or indirectly, that are in the US or in the possession or control of Americans are “blocked” and must be reported to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The sanctions also prohibit Samidoun and Barakat from engaging in any property-related transactions with people or entities located or incorporated in the US.

The post ‘Sham Charity’: US, Canada Sanction Anti-Israel Samidoun Network as Fundraiser for Palestinian Terror Group first appeared on Algemeiner.com.