Prince Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Cuts Ties With U.S. Muslim Group Over Pro-Palestine Remarks
The foundation ends funding to Milwaukee-based organization after founder Janan Najeeb voiced support for Palestinian rights and criticized Israeli policies.
Watan-Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s charity, Archewell, has cut ties with a U.S.-based Muslim organization due to pro-Palestine statements made by its founder.
Since 2023, the Archewell Foundation—founded by the royal couple in 2020—had awarded two grants totaling approximately £42,000 (around $55,700) to the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition.
It was recently revealed by U.S. outlet NewsNation that the founder of the coalition, Palestinian-American Janan Najeeb, had called for a ban on weapons sent to Israel and demanded the “liberation of Palestine.” She also repeated the slogan: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Archewell Ends Support Over Pro-Palestine Blog Post by U.S. Muslim Leader
In a blog post last year, Najeeb wrote: “The Israeli occupation of Palestine for 75 years and the genocide in Gaza are grave injustices.” She added:“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever!”
In a letter to Najeeb, Archewell stated:“Janan, we were recently informed of a blog post of yours that conflicts with the values of our foundation. While we celebrate differences in perspective and background, we do not tolerate any words, actions, or propaganda that promote hate.”
The letter clarified that the grant had been intended to support the integration of Afghan women in Milwaukee.
In 2023, Najeeb had expressed her gratitude to the foundation, stating: “We took quick and effective action in response to the war in Gaza. Our efforts, in collaboration with other organizations in Wisconsin, aimed to raise awareness and advocate for Palestinian human rights.”
Prince Harry has previously voiced his commitment to social justice causes, stating that “ending racism requires the effort of every person on this planet.”
He and Meghan have also made controversial allegations about racism within the British royal family.
This latest incident comes as Prince Harry faces mounting criticism in the British press for traveling to war-torn Ukraine while arguing in the High Court over his request for taxpayer-funded security in the UK.
Royal Visits to Israel: Historic Absences and Controversial Views Revealed
No member of the British royal family visited Israel officially until 2018, when Prince William, Harry’s older brother, traveled there to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the state.
Some have speculated that the late Queen Elizabeth held a negative stance toward Israel, possibly due to the armed revolt led by Zionist groups against the British Mandate in Palestine in the 1940s, prior to the declaration of the state.
According to former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, the Queen allegedly believed “every Israeli is either a terrorist or the child of one,” and refused to allow Israeli officials to enter Buckingham Palace.
During her visit to Jordan in 1984, a map was shown to her highlighting illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Her reported reaction: “What a depressing map.”
King Charles has also sparked controversy in the past for his views on Israel. In a 1986 letter to a friend following a Middle East trip—revealed in 2017—he mentioned reading parts of the Qur’an and admiring “some aspects of Islam.” He also noted he was beginning to understand the Arab perspective on Israel.
He wrote: “I hadn’t realized they view it as a U.S. colony.”
He added: “I now appreciate that Arabs and Jews are all originally Semitic people… but the influx of foreign European Jews (especially from Poland, as they say) has helped cause great problems.”
Archewell Cuts Ties Over Pro-Palestine Remarks Amid Rising Tensions
Most controversial of all was his comment: “Surely some U.S. president has to have the courage to stand up to the Jewish lobby in the United States?”
NewsNation reportedly reached out to Archewell earlier this month to inform them about Najeeb’s pro-Palestine remarks.
Late last week, the foundation announced that it would cease funding the organization after being informed of these statements.
The channel also told Archewell that Najeeb had described Israel as an “apartheid state”—a term used by the International Court of Justice in a 2024 advisory opinion and endorsed by several major human rights organizations, including Amnesty International.
