Palestinian Youth Movement to Host Webinar in NYC Featuring Convicted PFLP Member
PYM to host NYC webinar screening at People's Forum featuring PFLP member Salah Hammouri, who was convicted in the 2000's for plotting to assassinate Israel's Chief Rabbi
The Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) is set to launch a campaign titled “Freedom for Palestinian Political Prisoners” on March 15, 2026, at New York City’s People’s Forum, promoting an in-person screening of a live webinar billed as featuring “first-hand testimonies from released political prisoners and lawyers.”
The event will showcase Salah Hammouri, a French-Palestinian lawyer with documented PFLP membership, and Mohamad Nafez Qaoud, a contributor to Hamas government-owned Al-Rai Radio. The event will also feature Amani Sarahneh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Prisoners Club.
Hammouri’s Terror Convictions and PFLP Membership
Salah Hammouri carries a documented history of terrorism-related convictions and terrorist organization membership. In 2005, he was arrested and convicted by Israeli courts on charges of plotting to assassinate Ovadia Yosef, Israel’s then-chief rabbi and leader of the ultra-orthodox Shas party. He was released in 2011 as part of the prisoner exchange for Israeli hostage Gilad Schalit, which freed 1,027 Palestinian terrorists in exchange for one captured soldier.
Following his 2011 release, Hammouri was briefly arrested by Israel in June 2020 for alleged terror links. He was later detained again in March 2022 under administrative detention and was deported to France in December 2022. According to the PFLP’s Lebanon-based website, Hammouri was identified as a member of the PFLP in 2022. In 2022, while imprisoned, he participated in a hunger strike alongside other imprisoned PFLP members.
In his 2023 book, “The Prisoner of Jerusalem: A Political Prisoner in Occupied Palestine,” published by French publisher Libertalia, Hammouri described his prison experience, including accounts of cohabitation with individuals identified as members of the “Palestinian resistance”—a term used to refer to imprisoned members of terrorist organizations. His memoir discusses time spent alongside Marwan Barghouti, a convicted arch-terrorist who orchestrated the killings of Israeli civilians during the Second Intifada, and former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Hammouri’s Work with U.S.-Sanctioned Organization
Hammouri worked as a lawyer and field researcher for Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, a Palestinian NGO that provides legal services to Palestinian detainees. However, Addameer itself has been designated as affiliated with the PFLP terrorist organization, according to research by NGO Monitor research. In June 2025, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Addameer, saying it had long supported and was affiliated with the PFLP, and designated it for acting for or on behalf of the PFLP.”
Scrutiny of PYM by Watchdogs and U.S. Officials
The Palestinian Youth Movement has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and watchdog groups over its rhetoric, partnerships, and programming. On August 22, 2025, Senator Tom Cotton urged the IRS to investigate PYM’s funding and tax-exempt donation structure.
In September 2025, ADL reported the second annual People’s Conference for Palestine — an event in which PYM figures played organizing roles — featured ‘open and explicit glorification’ of terror groups like Hamas.
In September 2025, the ADL reported that PYM's annual People's Conference had featured "open and explicit glorification of terror groups like Hamas" alongside calls to eliminate Zionism and target "Zionists" as individuals.
NGO Monitor has reported that PYM has been described by the Israeli government as having ‘close ties’ to the PFLP and has highlighted PYM campaigns involving Khalida Jarrar, Walid Daqqah, and PFLP-linked iconography and programming.