Publicly traded companies donated thousands of dollars to an anti-Israel charity in Arizona closely affiliated with Palestinian terrorism, according to tax forms reviewed by the Washington Examiner.
Alliance for Global Justice faced an IRS complaint on Jan. 17 over its fundraiser for a French organization called Collectif Palestine Vaincra that is partnered with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a U.S.-designated terror group. Five major U.S. companies bankrolled that same terror-linked group with $103,165 in 2020, raising concern from legal experts that donations are aiding violent acts against the Jewish state.
MAJOR JEWISH GROUP DEMANDS PAYMENT PROCESSORS CUT TIES WITH PALESTINIAN TERROR-LINKED GROUP
“It is incumbent on anyone making charitable donations to engage in some form of due diligence review on the proposed donee to ensure that the funds are being used for legitimate and lawful purposes,” Marc Greendorfer, a lawyer whose think tank Zachor Institute filed the IRS complaint against AFGJ, told the Washington Examiner. “At this point, there have been numerous news reports on the activities of Alliance for Global Justice and its reported activities as a conduit for terror groups’ fundraising.”
AFGJ, a left-wing group that has links to the socialist Nicaraguan Sandinista regime, fiscally sponsors several groups connected to the PFLP, which has been responsible for bombing and plane hijackings. Through this arrangement, AFGJ provides these groups services like payroll and donation processing.
CPV is a member of an anti-Israel coalition called Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, which has members that double dip as PFLP members, and is sponsored by AFGJ. Between 2019 and 2021, some payment processors, including PayPal, Plaid, and Discover, barred Samidoun from using their servers because of its PFLP ties.
Zionist Organization of America, the oldest pro-Israel nonprofit group in the U.S., demanded on Jan. 19 that more payment processors cut ties with AFGJ and Samidoun. The Washington Examiner reported on Jan. 18 that influential liberal foundations have granted over $10 million to AFGJ since 2019, according to tax forms.
Among the five publicly traded companies that donated more than $100,000 to AFGJ in 2020, the largest grantee was CBS Interactive U.S. The media company, which dissolved and is now under Paramount Streaming, gave $35,000 to AFGJ, according to tax forms.
Pepsi, which in the 1970s was the target of boycott calls from Jewish groups over the company’s ties to Russia, gave $33,000 to AFGJ. IAC Holdings, the parent company for several high-profile groups, including the Daily Beast, a left-leaning media outlet, and People Magazine, steered $25,000 to the Arizona-based charity.
Paramount, Pepsi, and IAC Holdings did not reply to requests for comment.
The other two company donors in 2020 to AFGJ were the software company Salesforce, which gave $5,165, and Lyft. The ride-share company donated $5,000, tax documents show.
“Our concern is that going forward, public companies, unions, and foundations need to assure that they do not contribute to funding anti-Israel terror groups and groups that promote antisemitic boycotts,” Morton Klein, president of Zionist Organization of America, told the Washington Examiner.
Union donors in 2020 to AFGJ included the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Workers United Labor Union, Laborers’ International Union of North America, the International Union Of Painters Pension Fund, tax records show.
AFGJ’s finances have ballooned in recent years. The charity received over $56 million from mostly left-leaning groups in 2020, the same year George Floyd was murdered. During the group’s 2019 fiscal year, it received just over $6.9 million, and over $5 million in 2018, according to tax records.
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A spokeswoman for the IRS previously told the Washington Examiner that federal disclosure laws prohibit the agency from commenting on any potential investigations involving AFGJ.
Salesforce and Lyft did not reply to requests for comment.
