By Karine Keyser —
Dumped from the Ed Sheeran tour over antisemitic remarks on stage, Seattle rapper Macklemore has launched his own “Free Palestine” tour that selling out with the promise to donate $1M to charities in Gaza. But a review of the charities raises a grim question: Will the money fund terrorism?
Macklemore is giving the money to six entities: Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, HEAL Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, UNRWA USA National Committee and Anera.
Literally, you pay for the ticket, you enjoy the music, you sponsor more mayhem and violence in Israel. Here’s the analysis of each NGO Macklemore picked:
Four of these are credibly accused of ultimately putting their funds into terrorism, and one of the remaining had a founder who quit over antisemitic remarks.
- UNRWA USA National Committee – On June 5, 2026, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s inspector general announced it had referred 101 current or former UNRWA employees for possible suspension or debarment because of participation in the Oct. 7 attacks and/or affiliation with Hamas’ military wing. There is substantial documented evidence of Hamas-linked personnel within UNRWA. That creates a credible concern about indirect financial benefits and diversion. It does not establish what proportion of UNRWA USA donations reaches Hamas
- Anera – A January 2025 NGO Monitor investigation alleged that Anera and Mercy Corps coordinated with a Hamas-controlled Gaza ministry led by an official previously linked by the U.S. Treasury to Hamas smuggling operations. The report also alleged that Hamas-controlled authorities supplied beneficiary lists for humanitarian aid, potentially allowing Hamas to influence distribution and strengthen its political control.
- Palestine Children’s Relief Fund – An internal Hamas Ministry of Interior document dated Aug. 23, 2022, identifies the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) as a donor to the Deir al-Balah Association for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled in Gaza. Although the association was affiliated with Fatah, three of its board members reportedly had ties to Hamas, including its deputy director and treasurer.
- Medical Aid for Palestinians – According to NGO Monitor, a December 2022 internal Hamas document identified Medical Aid for Palestinians’ administrative director in Gaza as a Hamas affiliate who had pledged allegiance to the terrorist organization. NGO Monitor also reports that MAP provided $300,000 between 2019 and 2021 to the Abdel Shafi Community Health Association, whose leadership included senior members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist organization, although neither finding establishes that MAP knowingly financed terrorism.
- HEAL Palestine – This group passed the scrutiny of terrorism links. But founder Steve Sosebee resigned after reportedly making antisemitic remarks.
- Gaza Soup Kitchen – This is the only NGO to pass every check. Feel free to give them money. You’ll help people, not sponsor terrorists.
On Sept. 4-5, Macklemore used Ed Sheeran’s stage to shout “Free Palestine” and accuse the Israeli government of genocide. Bowing to pressure from concert venue owners, Sheeran dropped the Seattle rapper as his opening act, taking Isaac Slade, the former frontman of the band The Fray, and Brooks Rosser, an American Idol Season 24 former contestant.
“The Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation and still fighting for their freedom,” Macklemore wrote on Instagram after the bruhaha.
Fellow artist Pink was not impressed with Macklemore’s virtue signaling and joined the debate online: “As a Jewish mom, that (what Macklemore said) scared me, and it scared people I love,” she said.
The mischaracterization of Israel’s retaliation against the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 whips up antisemitic feelings. Historians rubbish the false accusation of “genocide,” but that doesn’t stop TikTok or the likes of Macklemore from repeating lies.
Sheeran, who is decidedly apolitical, got caught in the maelstrom. His opening act pulled him into controversy, and when he was pressured to drop the act, the woke mob backlashed.
