Joe Catron
Overview
Joe Catron is the American coordinator of an NGO designated as a terror group. He has expressed support for terror and spread hatred of Zionists, Israel and America.As of July 2023, Catron had reportedly been the U.S. coordinator at Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (Samidoun) since 2018. Samidoun has described him as a“New York organizer and writer” for the group since 2016.
At least three senior Samidoun activists are members [pp. 23-25] of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group. In February 2021, Israel designated Samidoun as a “terror organization,” accusing it of operating “as an arm of the PFLP.”
The U.S. State Department has listed the PFLP as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) since 1997, given its history of airplane hijackings, suicide bombings and attacks on Israeli civilians. Giving money to an FTO is illegal under U.S. law.
Catron was also reportedly an organizer with the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement as well as the anti-Israel group Al-Awda (Al-Awda NY) in 2021.
Catron was an activist with the pro-terror group Within Our Lifetime (WOL) in 2023 and 2022. He was also an activist with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015.
Catron was reportedly a journalist who “lived in Gaza, for over three years, where he worked directly with prisoners’ families and former prisoners.”
Catron graduated from the College of William & Mary (William & Mary) with a bachelor’s degree in “Folklore and Mythology” in 2006.
As of June 2024, Catron’s Facebook Intro said he was located in New York, New York.
Support for Terror (PFLP, Hamas, Hezbollah, PIJ)
On May 18, 2023, Catron posted on Facebook: “If Palestine is liberated…it will be through armed struggle…For all of us watching from the outside, our key tasks are figuring out what little we can do to strengthen the Palestinian Resistance, and weaken the Zionist military occupation…”
Anti-Israel activists use the term “resistance” to refer to violence and terror perpetrated against Israeli civilians and their allies. It is used to glorify anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence. Anti-Israel activists chant slogans such as: “Resistance by any means necessary!” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” in response to terror attacks.
On May 1, 2023, Catron updated his Facebook cover photo to a picture of Khader Adnan.
On August 10, 2022, Catron posted on Facebook: “Israel assassinated Ibrahim al-Nabulsi and his comrades…because of what the [sic] have become: symbols of resistance and hope for eventual liberation.”
Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi, a “commander” of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, was known as “the lion of Nablus.” On August 9, 2022, he was killed [p. 5] in a gun battle with Israeli forces. The Brigade is listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. State Department.
On July 8, 2022, Catron tweeted: “PFLP message for international commemorations of 50th anniversary of Ghassan Kanafani’s assassination.”
On July 12, 2021, Catron posted on Facebook his photo with Khalida Jarrar captioned with the Samidoun campaign: “Freedom for Khalida Jarrar - Palestinian leftist, feminist and parliamentarian arrested by the Israeli occupation.”
Khader Adnan was a senior member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist organization. A 2007 YouTube video showed Adnan praising and encouraging suicide bombings: "Who among you will carry the next explosive belt? Who among you will fire the next bullets? Who among you will have his body parts blown all over?” In May 2023, Adnan died in prison after refusing medical treatment during a hunger strike.
On August 10, 2022, Catron posted on Facebook: “Israel assassinated Ibrahim al-Nabulsi and his comrades…because of what the [sic] have become: symbols of resistance and hope for eventual liberation.”
Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi, a “commander” of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, was known as “the lion of Nablus.” On August 9, 2022, he was killed [p. 5] in a gun battle with Israeli forces. The Brigade is listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. State Department.
On July 8, 2022, Catron tweeted: “PFLP message for international commemorations of 50th anniversary of Ghassan Kanafani’s assassination.”
Kanafani was a leading member and spokesperson for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during the terrorist organization’s early years. Kanafani announced the PFLP’s responsibility for the Lod Airport Massacre of May 1972 and was linked to the airport attackers. The attack killed 26 people and wounded 80 others.
On July 12, 2021, Catron posted on Facebook his photo with Khalida Jarrar captioned with the Samidoun campaign: “Freedom for Khalida Jarrar - Palestinian leftist, feminist and parliamentarian arrested by the Israeli occupation.”
In March 2019, Catron claimed [00:07:52] in an interview that the “March of Return” was “something very innovative.” He also said [00:08:46]: “I think all the [Palestinian] resistance is worth celebrating!”
In May 2018, terror organization Hamas instigated the “March of Return.” Thousands of violent rioters attempted numerous breaches of Israel’s border fence with Gaza, seeking to harm Jews across the border. Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of the fence, some by armed Palestinians. On May 15, 2018, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar said the Gaza protests were only a pretext of “peaceful resistance.”
During the 2018 March of Return, Hamas routinely directed its members to infiltrate the border between Gaza and Israel to train for an attack on Israeli communities in the area, leading to the October 7, 2023 massacre. For more information, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.
In the same interview, Catron also said [00:21:47]: “In New York, last year we had a 50th anniversary celebration from…the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. We had a couple of figures from within it speak…Leila Khaled… Khaled Barakat spoke live by Skype and answered questions.”
Khaled Barakat is reportedly [p. 24] a “Central Committee member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).” In October 2022, Barakat was banned by the Netherlands, along with his wife, anti-Israel agitator Charlotte Kates, from entering the European Union (EU). In February 2020, Barakat was deported from Germany and placed under a 4-year entry ban.
On March 11, 2019, Catron tweeted: “If you’re anywhere near Berlin, don’t miss @SamidounPP’s upcoming events with the legendary Rasmea Odeh.”
Odeh was a key military operative with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization. In 1969, she masterminded a PFLP supermarket bombing that killed two college students. She also attempted to bomb the British consulate in Jerusalem. Odeh later moved to the United States but was deported to Jordan in 2017 for immigration fraud.
On February 8, 2019, Catron tweeted: “...I ♡ Hizbullah.”
Hezbollah has long been known as an anti-Semitic and genocidal terror organization dedicated to destroying Israel.
In June 2014, while living in Gaza as an activist, Catron participated in a press conference aimed to “express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners.” The press conference included Tawfeek Abu Naim (or Tawfiq Naim), who was reportedly the “head of Hamas’s Internal Security Force” until March 2021. Naim was also an activist with the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, before being reportedly arrested by Israel in 1989.
Odeh was a key military operative with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization. In 1969, she masterminded a PFLP supermarket bombing that killed two college students. She also attempted to bomb the British consulate in Jerusalem. Odeh later moved to the United States but was deported to Jordan in 2017 for immigration fraud.
On February 8, 2019, Catron tweeted: “...I ♡ Hizbullah.”
Hezbollah has long been known as an anti-Semitic and genocidal terror organization dedicated to destroying Israel.
In June 2014, while living in Gaza as an activist, Catron participated in a press conference aimed to “express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners.” The press conference included Tawfeek Abu Naim (or Tawfiq Naim), who was reportedly the “head of Hamas’s Internal Security Force” until March 2021. Naim was also an activist with the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, before being reportedly arrested by Israel in 1989.
On May 8, 2015, referring to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Catron tweeted: “...I shook Ismail Haniyeh’s hand a few times without having my bags checked first.”
On January 28, 2015, Catron tweeted: “Nasrallah, ya habib: udrub, udrub Tel Abib [Nasrallah, my beloved: strike, strike Tel Aviv].”
Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, declared in 2019: “In a future war, all of occupied Palestine will be struck by our rockets.” In 2017, Nasrallah called on on Jews living in Israel “to leave Palestine and go back to the countries from which they came.” In 1998, he said Israel was “the state of the grandsons of apes and pigs – the Zionist Jews.”
On June 8, 2013, Catron tweeted: “...‘The so-called peace path is not peace and it is not a substitute for jihad and resistance.’ Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.”
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin has been described as the “mastermind of Palestinian terror” behind many suicide bombings against Israeli civilians on buses and in cafes during the second intifada. In January 2003, Yassin said in an interview: “Suicide attacks and jihad reinforce national unity in the ranks…Our voice is one of struggle, of jihad and of suicide…”
In December 2012, Catron met Leila Khaled in Gaza while reportedly living there. In December 2020, Catron suggested on Twitter that he had met Khaled multiple times.
Leila Khaled is a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and El Al Flight 219 in 1970. As of 2017, Khaled was a member of PFLP's Political Bureau. Khaled has said that the second intifada failed because it was not violent enough, advocated [00:36:07] for the use of children in terror activities and compared Zionists to Nazis.
As of June 2024, Catron’s Twitter and Instagram profile pictures featured a photo of him next to Leila Khaled who was wrapped in a keffiyeh with PFLP logos.
Hatred of Zionists
On January 13, 2016, Catron tweeted: “Debating a Zionist is like diving into mud to wrestle a pig. You get filthy; the pig probably gets entertained.”On November 14, 2015, Catron tweeted: “Is it true that Israeli soldiers are chickens**t cowards in any fair fight on the ground? #AskHamas.”
On March 14, 2015, Catron tweeted: “Why do so many Zionists share a stange [suc] sexual obsession with goats? It hardly seems healthy, does it? #AskHamas.”
On March 13, 2015, Catron tweeted: “A periodic reminder that Zionism is racism, and all Zionists are, by definition, racists. Please retweet… #AskHamas.”
Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 other countries have adopted the definition as well.
Hatred of Israel
On November 22, 2019, Catron tweeted: “Israel is uniquely illegitimate, and the Palestinian Resistance is exceptionally legitimate…”On May 14, 2018, Catron tweeted: “When I die, if you sorry lot can’t think of anything nice about me to engrave on my tombstone, ‘F**K ZIONISM’ will be a perfectly acceptable alternative.”
Hatred of America
On August 15, 2021, Catron posted on Facebook: “My hot take:” and added a photo of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei saying: “Death to America, of course…”On March 10, 2023, Catron posted on Facebook: “Same” to a photo that showed a bishop that said: “My faith is tested daily by God allowing America to exist.”
1/22/2022 - Campaigning for the Release of a Terrorist
During a pro-terror protest, Catron spread [00:04:53] hatred of Israel, promoted [00:05:01] incitement and read [00:05:10] a letter from PFLP leader Ahmad Sa’adat urging “revolutionaries around the world” to “build an international popular front confronting imperialism, Zionism and racism.”
The protest was part of a “week of action to free Ahmad Sa’adat.” It was organized by Al-Awda NY, Samidoun, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), WOL and other organizations on January 22, 2022, in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York
Catron led the chants [00:04:53]: “It is right to rebel, Israel go to hell!” and [00:05:01]: “There is only one solution! Intifada revolution!”
The term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” carries the connotation of violence. Palestinian intifadas waged against Israel have been marked since 1987 by hundreds of hijackings, shootings, stabbings, bombings and suicide missions.
Catron continued and read [00:05:10] a statement written by Sa’adat and concluded his speech, saying [00:08:25]: “Be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Palestine [With spirit, with blood, we will redeem you, Palestine],” which is an adaption of the chant “be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Aqsaبروح ودم نفديك يااقصى [With spirit, with blood, we will redeem you, Aqsa].”
This chant can be heard [00:01:14] at anti-Israel rallies [00:02:19] in America. Yasser Arafat popularized the chant [00:00:23], which is invoked by anti-Israel protesters regarding a variety of causes.
The protest occurred on July 2, 2021, outside the Friends of Ir David buildin and was organized by Samidoun, WOL, Al-Awda NY, AMP and other organizations.
Speaking as a Samidoun representative outside the Friends of Ir David building, Catron led [00:00:07] the chant: “It is right to rebel, Israel go to hell!”
Ahmad Sa’adat is the Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He is currently serving in an Israeli prison for terror activities, including his role in the 2001 assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze’evi. Under Sa’adat’s leadership, the PFLP perpetrated many suicide bombings against Israeli civilians during the second intifada.
The protest was part of a “week of action to free Ahmad Sa’adat.” It was organized by Al-Awda NY, Samidoun, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), WOL and other organizations on January 22, 2022, in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York
Catron led the chants [00:04:53]: “It is right to rebel, Israel go to hell!” and [00:05:01]: “There is only one solution! Intifada revolution!”
The term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” carries the connotation of violence. Palestinian intifadas waged against Israel have been marked since 1987 by hundreds of hijackings, shootings, stabbings, bombings and suicide missions.
Catron continued and read [00:05:10] a statement written by Sa’adat and concluded his speech, saying [00:08:25]: “Be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Palestine [With spirit, with blood, we will redeem you, Palestine],” which is an adaption of the chant “be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Aqsaبروح ودم نفديك يااقصى [With spirit, with blood, we will redeem you, Aqsa].”
This chant can be heard [00:01:14] at anti-Israel rallies [00:02:19] in America. Yasser Arafat popularized the chant [00:00:23], which is invoked by anti-Israel protesters regarding a variety of causes.
7/2/2021 - Threatening Violence against U.S. Officials
Catron spread [00:00:07] hatred of Israel and suggested [00:02:03] force would be used to call “to account” U.S. government officials who were involved in U.S. support of Israel as he participated in a protest.The protest occurred on July 2, 2021, outside the Friends of Ir David buildin and was organized by Samidoun, WOL, Al-Awda NY, AMP and other organizations.
Speaking as a Samidoun representative outside the Friends of Ir David building, Catron led [00:00:07] the chant: “It is right to rebel, Israel go to hell!”
Catron continued and said [00:00:16]: “We are today because this country, the United States, in particular this city, New York, are the arsenals of this criminal Zionist enterprise - the so-called ‘State of Israel.’”
Catron continued [00:01:09]: “Today is the beginning of a long struggle not only against the [U.S. president] Joe Biden administration…but also against every other level of government that enables this ongoing criminal enterprise.”
Catron then said [00:02:03]: “Moving forward we will be forcing these figures to account because they only stand [sic] one language and that’s the language of force. What was taken by force will be returned by force.”
Catron concluded [00:02:19] by leading the chant: “There is only one solution! Intifada revolution!”
5/31/2019 - Supporting Terrorism at an Anti-Israel Rally
During an Al-Quds Day protest, Catron spread [00:00:15] hatred of Israel and [00:01:01] Zionists, expressed [00:01:50] support for terrorism and read [00:02:51] a letter from PFLP leader Ahmad Sa’adat.The protest occurred on May 31, 2019, in Times Square, New York, and included anti-Israel activists from Samidoun, WOL and other organizations.
During the rally, Catron led [00:00:15] the chant: “It is right to rebel, Israel go to hell!”
Catron gave [00:00:32] a speech, saying [00:01:38]: “In 2003, the Irish writer Kevin Toolis, comparing his country’s struggle for liberation with Palestine’s, wrote - ‘You can’t make a deal with the dead.’”
Catron went on [00:01:50] to say: “The Palestinian national movement’s red lines – its unanimous demands for return and self-determination throughout the whole of historic Palestine – have always been drawn in the blood of its martyrs, forming barriers no political figure or faction would ever dare to cross.”
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
6/23/2017 - Calling for Israel’s Destruction at Anti-Israel Rally
During an Al-Quds Day rally, Catron called [00:01:33] for Israel’s destruction.
On June 23, 2017, Catron spoke at an Al-Quds Day rally in New York, where he wore a red and white patterned keffiyeh and led the crowd in chanting [00:01:33]: “1, 2, 3, 4! Open up the prison door! 5, 6, 7, 8! Smash the settler Zionist state!”
Samidoun has collaborated with Leila Khaled, a terrorist with the internationally designated terrorist organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist. Samidoun called Khaled a “Palestinian resistance icon.”
Samidoun’s European Coordinator, Mohammed Khatib, is a member of the PFLP.
The group honored Hamas operative Saleh Barghouti, who shot and wounded seven civilians during a drive-by shooting and Ashraf Na’alwa, who murdered two Israeli co-workers in a terror attack at an Israeli industrial area.
Samidoun also campaigned for the release of PFLP Secretary General Ahmad Sa’adat, terrorist Bilal Kayed and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) senior member Khader Adnan.
In February 2019, the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy published a report exposing Samidoun’s ties with the PFLP.
On April 23, 2019, Samidoun was informed by PayPal that their account had been “permanently limited” due to the nature of their activities.
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On June 23, 2017, Catron spoke at an Al-Quds Day rally in New York, where he wore a red and white patterned keffiyeh and led the crowd in chanting [00:01:33]: “1, 2, 3, 4! Open up the prison door! 5, 6, 7, 8! Smash the settler Zionist state!”
The International Quds Day rally was founded in 1979 by the Islamic Republic of Iran “to oppose Zionism and Israel and express support for the Palestinians.” The rally has historically been a platform for anti-Semitism. During the 2009 rally, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed “the Holocaust was a ‘lie’” and a pretext to create a Jewish state that Iranians had “a religious duty to confront.”
Samidoun
The Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (Samidoun) is an anti-Israel NGO that was founded in 2011 and claims to “raise awareness and provide resources about Palestinian political prisoners...” They also claim to “organize campaigns to make political change and advocate for Palestinian prisoners’ rights and freedoms.” Samidoun characterizes convicted murderers as “political prisoners.”
Samidoun has collaborated with Leila Khaled, a terrorist with the internationally designated terrorist organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist. Samidoun called Khaled a “Palestinian resistance icon.”
Samidoun’s European Coordinator, Mohammed Khatib, is a member of the PFLP.
The group honored Hamas operative Saleh Barghouti, who shot and wounded seven civilians during a drive-by shooting and Ashraf Na’alwa, who murdered two Israeli co-workers in a terror attack at an Israeli industrial area.
Samidoun also campaigned for the release of PFLP Secretary General Ahmad Sa’adat, terrorist Bilal Kayed and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) senior member Khader Adnan.
In February 2019, the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy published a report exposing Samidoun’s ties with the PFLP.
On April 23, 2019, Samidoun was informed by PayPal that their account had been “permanently limited” due to the nature of their activities.
BDS
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.
One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”
Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”
In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”
The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.
BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.
The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.
Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.
BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.
Social Media and Weblinks
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Videos
7 videos
Photos & Screenshots
73 images
Infamous Quotes
“...I ♡ Hizbullah.”
"Nasrallah , ya habib: udrub, udrub Tel Abib [Nasrallah, my beloved: strike, strike Tel Aviv].”
“Be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Palestine [With spirit, with blood, we will redeem you, Palestine]
“Debating a Zionist is like diving into mud to wrestle a pig. You get filthy; the pig probably gets entertained.”
“Is it true that Israeli soldiers are chickens**t cowards in any fair fight on the ground? #AskHamas.”
“When I die, if you sorry lot can’t think of anything nice about me to engrave on my tombstone, ‘F**K ZIONISM’ will be a perfectly acceptable alternative.”
