A series of investigative reports released on Tuesday by the European Leadership Network (ELNET) exposes an extensive network of Hamas-affiliated organizations and individuals operating across several European countries.
The reports, focusing on the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium, were released one year after the October 7 attack in Israel.
ELNET's investigation identified approximately 30 organizations and individuals with alleged ties to Hamas, some of which were formally designated by Western nations, who operate freely across the continent despite Hamas’s designation as a terrorist organization by the European Union and various other governments.
Each of the four reports is split into two sections: one is an identical all-European section, and the second one is a varying local section.
The first section revolves around actors operating in an all-European context, with individuals including Majed Al-Zeer (Germany), Mohammad Hannoun (Italy), Adel Doghman (Austria), Amin Abou Rashed (the Netherlands), Zaher Birawi (UK), and Mazen Kahel (France). In a noteworthy coincidence, the first three individuals – Zeer, Hannoun and Doghman – were all designated only last week by the US treasury for their work for Hamas, while the fourth one, Abou Rashed, has been detained for almost a year in the Netherlands and is currently being tried for alleged financing of Hamas worth millions of Euros.
In the reports, these six officials are claimed to be acting as Hamas’s operatives in each of their respective countries. The reports also highlight the operatives’ involvement in the forming of six organizations: three older ones which were designated by Israel in 2013 and were since dissolved, and three newer ones, which may imply an attempt at rebranding and circumventing sanctions.
Among the newer organizations highlighted in the all-European section of the reports are the Palestinians in Europe Conference (EPC), which reportedly hosts annual events featuring Hamas-affiliated speakers and which has been recognized by Fatah-loyalist Palestinian outlets as belonging to Hamas, as well as the European Palestinian Council for Political Relations (EUPAC), a lobbying group which had a conference canceled last week over the new US designations, as reported by The Jerusalem Post.
Notable entities in the local sections of the reports include the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) and Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) in the UK; ABSPP in Italy; and the United Palestinian National Committee (VPNK) in Germany, all of which are related to or were established by some of the prominent actors mentioned earlier.
The report also highlights media outlets pertaining to this network, including Al-Hiwar, EPAL and Infopal, which have collaborated in the past with Hamas-affiliated outlets such as Shehab, and which serve as mouthpieces for the pro-Hamas network’s activity in Europe.
Muslim Brotherhood axis
Another issue highlighted in the report is the usage of “civil” fronts by the Muslim Brotherhood axis, of which Hamas is a member, as a means to advance Islamist ideologies which emphasize Da'wah, or preaching Islam, while offering community services to spread radical Islam to the masses and draw them closer to Hamas’s ideologies.
Emmanuel Navon, CEO of ELNET, added, “In light of these findings, ELNET urges European governments to take swift action by thoroughly investigating and shutting down these Hamas-affiliated organizations in order to prevent Hamas from further destabilizing both the Middle East and Europe. Banks and financial institutions must closely monitor the activities of the individuals named in the reports and review their financial dealings to prevent further support for terrorist activities. ELNET further calls on research institutions and think tanks to help expose these activities to the public and ensure that Hamas’s fundraising networks in Europe are dismantled.”