Court orders anti-Israel group to disclose donor information amid foreign funding suspicions
On July 16, the anti-Israel American Muslims for Palestine was forced to disclose its donors by a court order, at the request of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
AMP has faced increased scrutiny and legal challenges, including a lawsuit alleging it aids Hamas and has ties to Hamas through its financial sponsor.
On July 16, the anti-Israel organization, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), was forced to disclose its donors by a court order, at the request of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Jonathan Schanzer, the senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that AMP has come under suspicion of receiving foreign funds, telling Jewish Insider that “[t]he scrutiny into AMP continues to grow.”
“There is intense interest in learning whether there are foreign funds,” Schanzer added. “At some point, one gets the sense that AMP will have to begin to comply with these requests. It does seem like a question of when.”
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The attorney general has been trying to access AMP’s donor records since October. With the recent court order, law enforcement will have access to the information they need to determine if AMP has met the state’s financial requirements.
“Under Virginia law, the Office of the Attorney General has the jurisdiction to investigate possible violations of the Commonwealth’s charitable registration and solicitation laws,” a press release from the AG’s office explains.
AMP is a non-profit organization based in Virginia and has promoted pro-Palestinian advocacy nationally for several years, according to its website.
“Over the years, AMP has transformed into a major national organization and a leading voice in the Palestine solidarity movement,” its website states. “Within the policy domain, AMP is engaged in vigorous advocacy for Palestinian rights, effectively reshaping the discourse on Palestine in the U.S.”
AMP was sued in May for allegedly aiding and abetting Hamas’ goals, trying to turn college students into “foot soldiers for Hamas on campus and beyond.”
“Defendant AJP Educational Foundation, Inc. a/k/a American Muslims for Palestine (’AMP’) serves as Hamas’s propaganda division in the United States,” the lawsuit stated. “AMP was founded from the ashes of disbanded organizations created by senior Hamas officials after those organizations and related individuals were found criminally and civilly liable for providing material support to Hamas and other affiliated terrorist groups.”
According to a May 29 letter from the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, AMP has “substantial ties to Hamas via its financial sponsor, Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation.”
Campus Reform has contacted American Muslims for Palestine for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
