Michael Freilich, a lawmaker from the opposition New Flemish Union party, detailed his surprise at Justice Minister Paul van Tichelt’s response. In response to his interrogation, the Minister of Justice openly admitted that there are indeed groups operating in Belgium for reasons such as Hamas and lobbying. Raising funds for terrorist organizations designated by EU law.
Much to Freilich’s shock, the minister announced that the European Palestine Political Relations Council, a fundraising and lobbying proxy for the group responsible for the massacre, rape and kidnapping of at least 1,200 people on October 7, EUPAC).
EUPAC vaguely formulates its goals as aiming to “address investment in the geo-strategic importance of the Middle East region” as part of the Palestinian people’s “struggle for liberation from occupation.” ing. This will be done through meetings, seminars, campaigns and workshops with high-level European officials.
The council is headed by Majid al-Zir, who is recognized by German security authorities as the leading figure in Hamas activities in Europe, Dare newspaper revealed in mid-December 2023. , has even been named the “Representative of Hamas in Germany”. Spiegel. More than a decade ago, he was named Hamas’s operative in Europe by Israel, along with the Palestinian Repatriation Center he founded in London.
The other leader of EUPAC is Mazen Kahir, another Israeli-appointed leader of Hamas in Europe, who reportedly works with another group, the Committee for Charitable Support for Palestine (CBSP He is said to have served as treasurer of the French Palestine Security Committee. He was added to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists by the United States in 2003 because of his economic ties to Hamas.
Challenging Israel on the international stage
Dr. Ehud Rosen, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) who specializes in political Islam, said that in parallel with military efforts, Hamas and its Islamist global support network have a wide range of activities to challenge Israel’s status. He added that he is engaged in a number of initiatives. Activities in the international arena are carried out through an inclusive framework of civil society organizations.
Rosen also commented that pro-Hamas activists in the West are imitating their parent movement, the global Muslim Brotherhood, by creating this vast “civilian” infrastructure of which EUPAC is certainly a part. did. In other words, if Mr. Van Tigchelt’s signals that he left EUPAC as an arm of Hamas are correct, this means that the council functions as part of Hamas’s civilian arm and is not a part of the more widely known military and political This means that it is a sophisticated mechanism that works in parallel with the mechanism.
Freilich is not sure why the minister chose the organization’s name and questions whether it was intentional or just a slip of the tongue, but there are many more organizations operating in the country known to the government and intelligence agencies. He added that he is doing so. Van Tigchelt’s response did not mention them by name.
But that wasn’t the end. The minister also added that according to Belgian law, disbanding these groups is not easy. Freilich is furious. “Legal proceedings in our country can take months, even years. To say, “Let’s proceed with the legal proceedings.” [itself] “We can only act if we see if these people are convicted in court” – I have never heard of that before and it is shameful,” the Belgian MP said.
“I wonder if the fact that the current government is so harshly critical of Israel played a role in the decision to allow Hamas to continue operating in Belgium,” he said.
“This must be a wake-up call for Belgium,” Freilich added with concern. “This is a very small step between raising funds for Hamas and facilitating terrorist attacks. A similar attempt was made in Denmark but was thwarted. The Jewish community in this country and in Europe is at grave risk.” It has been.”
These are not the only organizations operating on behalf of designated terrorist organizations in Europe. Other examples include Samidoun, which was designated by Israel several years ago as a proxy for the terrorist-designated Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and another offshoot called Masal Badir.
“I wear black on white,” Freilich says. “The government acknowledged that Mr. Samidoun supports the PFLP, so [it] It is not possible to open an office in Belgium. However, Samidoun, who openly supports the PFLP, is allowed to operate. That makes no sense at all. They’re looking for excuses to do nothing. ”
Belgian MPs insist there are sufficient legal procedures that can be taken into account, even if “lawlessness” may be an obstacle. “They can take them to court themselves,” he suggests. “They are the government, so they can change the laws.”