Canada must now designate the PLO and Mahmoud Abbas as terror supporters
Canadian court: A PLO run organization is criminal, whose single purpose is “incentivising acts of terrorism against Israelis”
A Canadian court has found that the PLO Institute for the Care of the Families of the Martyrs and the Wounded (The Institute for the Martyrs/Palestine Martyrs’ Families Foundation) has “a single purpose… of a criminal nature” and was created with the “criminal purpose of incentivising acts of terrorism against Israelis.” The Institute for the Martyrs was founded by former PLO leader Yasser Arafat, among other reasons, to give terrorists the security of knowing that their families would be supported should they be killed while attacking Israelis. Today, the PLO is headed by Mahmoud Abbas who has repeatedly expressed his complete support for this institute and its financial support to families of killed terrorists, including families of suicide bombers.
The decision of the Montreal District Court was given in the case of a Palestinian whose request for refugee status was rejected by Canada because she had worked for the Iraq branch of the Institute for the Martyrs.
Approving the decision of the Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (RAD) to reject her application, the district court noted that the woman had made a “significant contribution to the criminal purpose of the [PLO] organisation,” and adopted critical findings both relating to the Institute for the Martyrs and the appellant. These findings included:
“The RAD found, on a balance of probabilities, that the Palestine Martyrs’ Families Foundation was created by the PLO to fulfill the criminal purpose of incentivising acts of terrorism against Israelis.”
“RAD noted that during the first intifada, the PLO’s main purpose was to use armed struggle to create a Palestinian state, and that the Fatah nationalist movement constituted the largest of the various factions of the PLO... The RAD also noted that the Fatah’s objective during the second intifada period was the removal of the Israeli military and of settlers from the West Bank, that it was employing suicide bombings within Israel, and that in 2003, Canada declared it a terrorist entity.”
“Even if she did not have a management role, the RAD found that her contribution was significant because her work directly concerned the foundation’s objective, which was to issue payments to the families of individuals who committed unlawful killings and acts of violence, which in turn incites further acts of martyrdom.”
“The RAD mentioned the evidence to the effect that Palestinians who gave their life to kill Israelis were referred to as martyrs by the PLO and that the nature of the PLO’s programs was well-known among the Palestinian community, both in Palestine and internationally.”
“The RAD thus found, on a balance of probabilities, that Ms. Khudeish was aware of the criminal purpose of the PLO, as the relevant program had existed for over 50 years, 22 of which she spent working for the PLO.”
“The RAD reasonably conclude that the PLO had a criminal purpose based on the evidence that was presented. Ms. Khudeish did not contradict this evidence with documentary evidence. The RAD’s finding that the Palestine Martyrs’ Families Foundation was created by the PLO to fulfill the criminal purpose of incentivising acts of terrorism against Israelis is supported by the evidentiary record.”
“The RAD referred to the evidentiary record to find that the widows and orphans who received the payments were “family members of terrorists” who committed unlawful violent acts and killings. Given the nature of Ms. Khudeish’s duties and the nature of the payments, it was not unreasonable for the RAD to find they amounted to the level of a significant contribution to the criminal purpose of the organisation.”
“The RAD focussed on the nature of the organisation, i.e. the Palestine Martyrs’ Families Foundation, which the RAD found had a single purpose, which was of a criminal nature.”
[2020 FC 1124 Khudeish v The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]
As stated, in addition to being Chairman of the PA and Fatah, Mahmoud Abbas is also the Head of the PLO. According to the Canadian court, Mahmoud Abbas heads an organization - the PLO - which created the Palestine Martyrs’ Families Foundation with “a single purpose… of a criminal nature” for “incentivising acts of terrorism against Israelis.”
Significantly, the court ruled about this woman who played a relatively minor administrative role in the Institute for the Martyrs, “that her contribution was significant because her work directly concerned the foundation’s objective, which was to issue payments to the families of individuals who committed unlawful killings and acts of violence, which in turn incites further acts of martyrdom.” What does this indicate about Canada’s attitude towards Mahmoud Abbas who is not at minor administrator but is solely responsible today for all major decisions related to the Institute for the Martyrs?
The Institute for the Martyrs together with the PA-funded PLO Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs make up the two components of PA’s “Pay-for-Slay” policy. The Institute for the Martyrs rewards the families of dead terrorists, while the Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs pays the salaries of imprisoned terrorists. According to sworn testimony of the Director General of the Institute, Khaled Jibrin given in the Jerusalem District Court in the course of litigation by victims of terror against the PA and the PLO, the Institute of the Martyrs, like the Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs, is entirely funded by the PA.
Through these two frameworks, the PA spends hundreds of millions of shekels every year, making monthly payments to terrorist murderers in prison as well as to the families of dead terrorists, to reward their acts of terror.
Finally, since the Canadian court has recognized the criminal nature of the PLO’s support of terror, it would be only be fitting for the Canadian government to adopt the court’s ruling and declare the PLO and its Chairman Mahmoud Abbas designated terror supporters.