Palestinian NGO dissolves amid ties to PFLP terror group

According to an Israeli watchdog, DCI-P staff and board members have included known PFLP operatives.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P) has ceased operations after more than three decades amid controversy over its ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and pressure from Israeli authorities.

The closure, announced by the Ramallah-based non-governmental organization, marks the end of one of the most prominent Palestinian NGOs, which critics said leaves a legacy of false allegations against Israel.

“For years, Palestinian terror groups, especially the PFLP, have used NGOs as a front to launder their operations and propaganda. NGO Monitor began uncovering and publishing details of DCI-P’s terror links and its exploitation of children more than 10 years ago,” Prof. Gerald M. Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, told The Press Service of Israel.

“It is likely that this evidence led to European donor governments pulling their funding from DCI-P and other groups in the PFLP network.”

DCI-P’s General Director Khaled Quzmar announced the organization’s dissolution on social media on Tuesday.

The Jerusalem-based NGO-Monitor has highlighted the NGO’s longstanding connections to the PFLP, a designated terrorist group.

According to the watchdog, DCI-P staff and board members have included known PFLP operatives.

Riyad Arar, DCI-P’s former director of child protection, attended a PFLP memorial in December 2014, with children dressed in PFLP attire present at the event.

Hashem Abu Maria, the organization’s community mobilization coordinator, was eulogized by the PFLP as a “leader” after his death in 2014.

Other board members, including Mahmoud Jiddah and Shawan Jabarin, were previously convicted by Israel for PFLP-related attacks or recruitment.

The PFLP is designated as a “terror organization” by Israel, the U.S., the European Union, and Canada. Founded in 1967, the Palestinian Marxist group’s most notable attacks include the 1976 Entebbe hijacking, the 2001 assassination of tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi, and the 2014 Har Nof synagogue massacre, in which six Israelis were killed.

Israel blacklisted DCI-P in October 2021, along with five other NGOs, over their ties to the PFLP

In December 2025, Israel ordered 37 international NGOs to comply with new registration rules or halt operations in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, citing security concerns.

DCI-P, which was registered under Israeli jurisdiction in 1996 and later under the Palestinian Authority in 2003, said these regulations contributed to operational challenges that forced its closure.

For years, DCI-P campaigned internationally, including lobbying European governments and the United Nations, portraying Palestinian minors involved in attacks as innocent victims.

NGO-Monitor and other critics say these efforts obscured DCI-P’s links to terror groups while amplifying false accusations against Israel.

European donor countries eventually ceased funding DCI-P after reviewing evidence of these ties.

DCI-P said it would transfer any remaining funds to another independent Palestinian organization with a child-centered mandate.