Palestinian-American activist Moath Hamzeh said on Wednesday that the Home Office has revoked his Electronic Travel Authorization and banned him from the UK, allegedly because his presence would not be conducive to the public good. Hamzeh, a trustee, vice-chair and director of development of the UK-registered charity Sun of Freedom, is based in Jersey City, New Jersey.
He was appointed a trustee in October 2024. The charity was registered in the UK in January as a charitable incorporated organisation, with a mandate to relieve financial hardship and provide humanitarian relief to displaced Palestinians in the Palestinian territories. He had been due in London to speak at a Sun of Freedom fundraiser on 6 November and at a documentary screening at Palestine House on 14 November.
In an Instagram video, Hamzeh said the ETA was revoked shortly before his flight. He said the government banned him "on grounds that are blatantly discriminatory, citing that I am not conducive to the public good in the UK, without any reasoning or rationale or any means to question or appeal the decision." He said he would join the London event virtually, and told supporters that what had happened to him "has a much higher purpose" and that "there is lots more to come."
He contrasted the ban with British citizens who served in the Israel Defense Forces, saying that "over 2,000 British citizens who served in the Israeli occupation forces during the genocide of Gaza – actual war criminals – have faced zero restrictions, investigations, sanctions, or bans," while he was barred "as if I'm some sort of criminal."
The Home Office step followed an October report from UK Lawyers for Israel, drawing on findings published in September by the online watchdog GnasherJew and sent to the Home Office and the Charity Commission. GnasherJew alleges that Hamzeh posted antisemitic conspiracy theories, dehumanising language and threats of violence on X, under @mo_hamz, an account since suspended for violating platform rules, and on Instagram, under @aya.mo.llah.
According to those findings, a February video on X showed him promoting claims linking the Israeli flag to labels including "Rothschilds control global banks," control of Western leaders and media, "pedophilia and sex trafficking," the 9/11 attacks, the USS Liberty attack and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In that video he said "Zionism is a cancer to society," and a caption added that "they are a cancer to society and must be excized."
GnasherJew also documented an August Instagram reel in which he allegedly said "Israel does not exist, nor does it have a right to," called Israel "the world's cancerous little cyst," said "now, it's time to excise you" and "you might as well slit your wrist," compared Israelis to Nazis, and ended with "You can run, but we will find you." Other alleged posts included a July video overlaying the Star of David on the Great Seal of the United States on passports and police badges, an August video in a T-shirt bearing an extreme anti-Israel slogan, and a five-minute August video referring to "Jewish supremacist tentacles" and alleging Zionist collaboration with Nazis during the Holocaust. In that video, the watchdog says, he spoke of forcing "one common enemy" from power "whether it's through votes or other means" and of outnumbering the "chosen ones."
UKLFI also raised concerns with the Charity Commission about Hamzeh's commercial partnership with Warrior Ink Apparel, a Florida clothing brand. It alleged that the brand's founder posted in support of Hamas, including a February 2025 post with imagery of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, described as the primary mastermind of the 7 October massacre, alongside slogans praising the resistance. UKLFI said Hamzeh worked with the brand on a "Mo Hamz Collection," with some proceeds designated for Sun of Freedom, and that the charity promoted the line, including T-shirts reading "ZIONISM IS RACISM IS FASCISM IS TERRORISM IS ISRAEL," on its website, Facebook and Instagram.
The Charity Commission confirmed that Sun of Freedom is subject to an ongoing regulatory compliance case and that the allegations about Hamzeh and Warrior Ink Apparel will be examined within it. After Hamzeh announced the travel ban, UKLFI made a further request urging his removal as a trustee.
Hamzeh told The Jerusalem Post: "This is further evidence that the British government is colluding with supporters of apartheid to silence voices against Israeli genocide." He added: "We simply will not allow this racist decision to stand, which allows Israeli soldiers who have participated in genocide to roam London freely while I – a Palestinian-American advocate for his people's rights – am prevented from attending a fundraiser for a charity that provides lifesaving aid to Gaza."
A UKLFI spokesperson called the exclusion "a welcome step in protecting the public from extremist rhetoric and antisemitic hatred," said people who promote conspiracy theories about Jews and use threatening language against them should not be given platforms in Britain, and urged the Charity Commission to act. GnasherJew welcomed the bar, cited the line "You can run, but we will find you," and said this was not legitimate criticism of Israeli government policy. It said the charity still collaborates with and promotes Warrior Ink Apparel, which it identified as a Hamas-supporting outfit, and that the Commission should examine Hamzeh's fitness as a trustee.
Sun of Freedom had not responded to the Post's request for comment by the time of publication.