Mossad-linked Israeli group seeks probe, payment cutoff against Canadian news outlet

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - An Israeli lawfare organization with reported links to Israel's Mossad intelligence agency is seeking a criminal investigation and financial restrictions against The Maple, the Canadian news outlet reported Wednesday.

According to The Maple's report, Shurat HaDin (SH) said on Jan. 25 on social media that it had "issued urgent legal notices to Stripe, Apple Pay and all major credit card networks demanding they cut off services" to the publication.

Israeli media reported that the group also sent letters to the Toronto police chief, the Ontario Provincial Police commissioner and Ontario's attorney general calling for a criminal probe and urging authorities to shut down the website.

The Maple cited a statement made by SH founder Nitsana Darshan-Leitner to The Canadian Jewish News that even opening an investigation could "serve as an alert, as a red flag for others" and discourage similar projects.

On its website, Shurat HaDin also describes its mission as "bankrupting terrorism one lawsuit at a time." The organization has previously filed lawsuits against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and Al Jazeera and has targeted supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Darshan-Leitner has publicly said that Mossad provided information to support the group's activities, The Maple stated in its report.

Citing a report by Reuters, The Maple said that in 2017, she had regular briefings with the Israeli intelligence agency, and a 2007 US diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks said the organization received guidance from Israeli government officials in its early years.

The Maple has published investigations on Canadian arms sales to Israel and created a database listing more than 200 Canadians who joined the Israeli military, using publicly available information.