A web of more than 100 anti-Israel organizations operate in Canada, according to a recent study by NGO Monitor, and nearly all of them overlap in activity and funding.
The study, titled “The NGO Network Driving Antisemitism in Canada,” was released on Nov. 4. It includes an interactive map highlighting the structure and dynamics of the NGO network—its organization, funding and partnerships.
In light of the Oct. 15 decision by the United States and Canada to designate Samidoun a terror entity, NGO Monitor sought to show how dozens of other groups “cooperated with Samidoun.” These groups were “leading the campaigns, the attacks, the antisemitism on university campuses within Canada, and are closely interrelated,” according to Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor.
Moreover, “organizations that are generally considered to be altruistic, non-political, are all myths. These are the organizations that are driving the antisemitism and hate on campus,” he told JNS.
NGO Monitor is a pro-Israel research institute that scrutinizes and criticizes non-governmental organizations “claiming to advance human rights and humanitarian agendas.”
The report aims to “put as much information in the hands of decision-makers, policymakers, government officials and members of parliament as possible so they can make informed decisions,” Steinberg said.
The “dangerous spike” in Jew-hatred is concurrent with “an increase in activity by an interconnected and coordinated network of NGOs, whose campaigns of anti-Israel demonization, antisemitism and intimidation create a hostile environment throughout Canada,” the report said. “A number of the leading groups are linked to Palestinian terror organizations and hide their sources of funding.”
Many of these groups have publicly celebrated the Oct. 7 atrocities and expressed support for Hamas and other Canadian-designated terrorist organizations.
The mapping of NGOs operating in Canada reveals concerns about transparency and funding sources. Out of 111 groups analyzed, 38 are registered with Canada Revenue as businesses or charities while 29 are known recipients of federal or provincial government funding.
The mapping also demonstrates Samidoun’s position as a central node within a broader network of anti-Israel and antisemitic nonprofits operating in Canada, with the report adding that the Palestinian terror-linked NGO is “one of the key groups promoting hate and incitement in Canada through its planning and promotion of numerous antisemitic events and extensive partnerships across the country.”
Independent Jewish Voices, which claims to have nine university-based and 18 regional chapters, was reported as the most connected entity, partnering with 76 out of the 111 groups. Despite their small numbers, campus-operating organizations play a prominent role in the network, collaborating with many nonprofits, including those receiving funding from the Canadian government.
Noting that Samidoun was a known Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine entity even before Canada designated it as a terror group, NGO Monitor said the Canadian government should take a more proactive approach to addressing potential threats to public safety, including a comprehensive investigation into organizations suspected of violating Canadian laws related to terrorism, incitement, violent extremism and hate speech, particularly antisemitism.
Steinberg added that universities, faculty members and other NGOs that have collaborated with and/or hosted Samidoun and its officials should be investigated to determine if their actions potentially violated the nation’s laws. Furthermore, organizations with similar profiles, such as the Palestinian Youth Movement, which reportedly has connections to designated terror groups, should be carefully examined and prohibited from operating in Canada.
‘The public has a right to know’
The report also recommended that Canada strengthen fiscal reporting requirements to enhance accountability and transparency in the nonprofit sector. This increased transparency would not only help identify potential misuse of funds but also bolster public trust in the charitable sector. Implementing more stringent disclosure policies, especially for groups receiving government funding or tax benefits, could significantly improve oversight and ensure compliance with Canadian laws.
“We don’t know where this money’s coming from with these groups. Maybe it’s coming from Qatar. Maybe it’s coming from terrorist frameworks. Maybe Iran,” Steinberg told JNS. “These organizations make a tremendous impact, active on over 100 different university campus groups in Canada.”
“It’s part of public policy to know where that funding is coming from. That’s no longer a free speech issue—hiding or preventing information of the source of funding for political advocacy,” he added. “We have a right to know if Qatar or some other country is paying for the riots and the mob attacks on campus.”
NGO Monitor has categorized the groups in the anti-Israel network into seven classifications: funders, legal, campus, advocacy, research, aid and bandwagon.
Each time a member of these anti-Israel groups gives a quote to the media, the public should know whether that group receives funding from “some sort of terror-linked entity, so we know how this individual is being influenced. The public has a right to know,” Steinberg told JNS.
Steinberg cautioned not to examine any one anti-Israel group in isolation because “all of these organizations tend to be wedded with one another in general—all the more reason to suspect that the political taint is that much embedded.”
In some cases, he noted, the solution may require cooperation between several countries to list organizations as terror entities, as was done with Samidoun. There has to be some “exchange of information,” he said.
