The Shurat HaDin Law Center has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice, seeking investigations into the Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) for alleged terror financing and acting as a foreign agent. The complaint, detailed in an eight-page document, accuses HRF and its chairman, Dyab Abou Jahjah, of targeting Jewish individuals, particularly soldiers, through the abuse of legal processes.
According to the complaint, Abou Jahjah has publicly stated his involvement with Hezbollah, an organization designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States since 1997. Shurat HaDin asserts that Abou Jahjah, described by Israel as a former Hezbollah terrorist, has boasted about facilitating European visits for Hezbollah's political leadership. The center criticizes media outlets for labeling him a human-rights advocate, stating that a former member of a designated terrorist group does not transition into humanitarianism.
Shurat HaDin claims that HRF's activities constitute "target acquisition" rather than advocacy. The foundation allegedly scrapes soldiers' social media, maps their identities and units, tracks their movements, and files what the center describes as frivolous criminal complaints against them in various jurisdictions. The complaint notes that despite these efforts, no court has found any of the targeted soldiers guilty of any wrongdoing, with claims being repeatedly dismissed.
The center argues that the goal of these legal actions is not conviction but intimidation and harassment. It alleges that the actions cause reservists to cancel personal plans, students to withdraw from foreign universities, and individuals to learn their names are part of foreign dossiers. Shurat HaDin characterizes this as an abuse of universal jurisdiction statutes, calling it "antisemitism with a filing fee."
The complaint further alleges that HRF has extended its actions to the United States. The foundation reportedly denounced an Israeli-American soldier to Sri Lankan authorities. Upon the soldier's return to the U.S., HRF allegedly demanded that the Department of Justice prosecute him. Shurat HaDin views this as a hostile foreign influence operation targeting American sovereignty, particularly given HRF's lack of transparency regarding its donors and funding.
Shurat HaDin is urging the Department of Justice to utilize statutes such as the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations, along with material-support terrorism statutes. The law center is calling for subpoenas, financial tracing, and sanctions referrals to investigate HRF thoroughly. Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of Shurat HaDin, stated that the leaders of the operation are "simply unexamined" and that the "dangerous lawfare" they are perfecting could be used against anyone. The complaint aims to bring the foundation's operations into the light and dismantle what it describes as a weapon being perfected to target Jews.