Donorbox announced Friday it is blocking the fundraising account of the BDS movement based on allegations of links to terror groups.
By: Associated Press and United with Israel Staff
A U.S. software company said Friday it blocked the fundraising account of the Palestinian-led boycott movement against Israel following a complaint by a pro-Israel group that the campaign has links to terror organizations.
Donorbox, which makes fundraising management software, confirmed that the boycott, sanctions, divestment (BDS) campaign’s account was blocked while it investigates the allegations.
The decision came in response to a complaint from Shurat HaDin, an Israeli advocacy group that files lawsuits around the world against Israel’s foes, submitted in coordination with Israel’s Strategic Affairs Ministry.
Donorbox, a San Francisco-based firm whose product is used by BDS and other nonprofits to collect online donations, gave no indication how long the review of BDS’ activities would take.
The complaint noted that the boycott movement’s membership includes the Council of National and Islamic Forces in Palestine (PNIF), an umbrella committee whose members include the Hamas terror group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
All three of those groups have been classified as terrorist organizations by the U.S. Similarly, they have all launched attacks to murder Israeli civilians, including a drive-by shooting attack last week during which a Palestinian shot a pregnant Israeli woman, among several others.
At only 30 weeks, the woman’s baby was born in an emergency c-section, but died four days later.
PNIF was formed two decades ago, but rarely meets due to bitter rivalries between the terror groups.
“We have no intention to allow terrorist organizations and their accomplices to raise money online without interference,” said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of Shurat HaDin.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, whose office is spearheading Israel’s battle against the boycott movement, called the decision “a significant achievement in our efforts to counter the discriminatory BDS campaign.”
The BDS campaign attempts to foment boycotts of Israeli businesses, universities and artists, but a number of pro-Israel advocates have exposed its real motive: to delegitimize and destroy the Jewish state.
Israel’s allies have passed a series of anti-BDS laws in the U.S.
