Belgium Revokes Refugee Status of Samidoun Leader Over Terror Support

Belgium’s Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) has revoked the refugee status of Mohammed Khatib, the European coordinator for the terror-supoorting Samidoun group, according to the Belga news agency.

Khatib, who has lived in Belgium since 2015, intends to appeal the decision. Officials cited his activities with Samidoun, which portrays itself as a network supporting Palestinian Arab prisoners but has been repeatedly accused of promoting extremist and terrorist causes.

The day after the October 7 massacre, Samidoun released an image celebrating the attack, featuring a paraglider and the slogan “From the river to the sea.” Khatib described the massacre as “a normal response of a population living under colonialism,” hailed the attackers as heroes, denied Israel’s right to exist, and called for its dismantling.

He has openly praised Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, both on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations. In May 2024, Samidoun organized a “Resistance Festival” in Brussels where a senior Hamas figure was invited as a guest speaker.

Belgian Jewish MP Michael Freilich, who also serves as a special envoy for intercultural dialogue at the European Jewish Association, welcomed the move, stating: “The time for excuses is over. When you glorify the murder of Nova youth and call it resistance, you have no place in a civilized democracy.”

Belgium’s government considers Samidoun an extremist group. Just before the summer recess, Interior Minister Bernard Quintin presented a draft law to ban radical organizations.

Samidoun has drawn significant scrutiny since the start of the Israel-Gaza conflict, with Jewish groups warning about its activities. Germany banned the group in November 2023 for promoting antisemitism and praising terrorist groups, including Hamas.