Detroit Palestine Conference Speaker is Former PFLP Member Who Repeatedly Met Yahya Sinwar
Despite being described as a "former" PFLP member, newly announced speaker Hani Al-Masri has maintained ties with Hamas and PFLP leaders, and repeatedly met with October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar
The Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) has announced additional speakers for the People's Conference for Palestine, scheduled for August 29-31, 2025, in Detroit. Newly announced speakers include Hani Al-Masri and Hasan Piker, among others.
Al-Masri, co-founder of MASARAT, a Palestinian policy research center, is a former member of the U.S.-designated terror group, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Despite being described as a “former” member of the terrorist organization, Al-Masri has continued to regularly meet with leadership of both the PFLP and Hamas.
Additionally, Piker, who is a popular streamer that has over 2.9M followers on Twitch, has made content praising U.S.-designated terror groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, stated that "America deserved 9/11," and denied reports of mass rapes committed by Hamas during the October 7th attacks.
Al-Masri’s Ties to Hamas and PFLP Leaders
Al-Masri reportedly joined the PFLP in 1981 as a media official and resigned in 1990. However, an investigation by Jewish Onliner has revealed that his ties to designated terrorist organizations extend far beyond his acknowledged past membership in the PFLP.
Al-Masri's social media presence reveals extensive documentation of his relationships with terror group leadership. Notable posts include:
A photograph showing him shaking hands with former Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, who was the mastermind of Hamas' October 7th attack, accompanied by a caption praising Sinwar as a leader. Another photo of Al-Masri shows him standing next to Sinwar and other Hamas officials such as Salah-al Bardawil, who was eliminated in an Israeli airstrike in March, 2025.
Images with former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and current officials including Bassem Naim and Ghazi Hammad.
A December 14, 2022 photograph showing his attendance at Hamas' 35th anniversary rally in Gaza.
A photo meeting with PFLP leaders, including Deputy Secretary General Jamil Mazhar.
A picture from a workshop for the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), where he was seen standing with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leader in Lebanon Ihsan Ataya.
Additionally, his professional activities have included serving on the editorial board of Al-Hadaf, the PFLP-affiliated newspaper, writing for Felesteen, Hamas' affiliated news outlet, and having an article published on the official PFLP website.
October 7th Praise
On the day of Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, Al-Masri made several posts praising Hamas' October 7th massacre, including statements such as "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." In another post made on October 31, 2023, he shared an article he wrote for MASARAT where he praised the fighting efforts of terror groups such as Hamas, stating "The resistance holds the reins of the battle."
Extremist Platforming Concerns
Critics express concern about the conference's decision to platform individuals with such backgrounds alongside elected officials like Michigan Congresswoman Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who was previously announced as a speaker. The combination of Al-Masri's well-documented ties to U.S.-designated terror groups and Piker's large social media influence raises questions about the messaging and associations being promoted at the Detroit gathering.