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Background Information on the Organizers Behind the 2011 Flotilla to Gaza

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Background Information on the Organizers Behind the 2011 Flotilla to Gaza IDF Spokesperson Background Information on the Organizers behind the 2011 Flotilla to Gaza June 12th, 2011 June 12th, 2011 Background Information on the Organizers behind the 2011 Flotilla to Gaza A. Introduction: 1. The "Green Pastures" flotilla poses a severe threat to Israel's national security and its image in the international community. Its organizers aim to provoke and denigrate Israel's security stance vis-à-vis the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. 2. The IHH, the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG) and the Free Gaza Movement (FGM) – which was founded by senior International Solidarity Movement (ISM) leaders – are the three leading organizations represented on the flotilla. 3. Despite attempts by these organizations to portray their efforts as part of a struggle for "human rights" and "humanitarian issues", they all have the following in common: a. All are stridently anti-Israel, denying Israel's right of self-defense. b. All have ties to radical Islam, specifically the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Al-Qaeda. c. All have an explicitly radical agenda, which includes "violent resistance" to Israel and to the West. d. All are aware of the questionable legality of their actions – especially regarding their direct and indirect assistance to Hamas, as the latter has been declared illegal both in the United States and in Europe. For this reason, they stress the "humanitarian" aspect of their work and their ties with leading "human-rights" organizations. e. All are willing to confront Israeli security forces with violence. This willingness was demonstrated by the IHH on the last flotilla and by operatives of ECESG and Free Gaza in their demonstrations against Israel's security fence. June 12th, 2011 B. The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG): 1. The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza is an anti‐Israel, pro‐Hamas umbrella organization active in Europe. The organization, as part of a coalition of 6 organizations led by the IHH, took part in the flotilla that culminated in the violence aboard the Mavi Marmara. Since then, the organization and its coalition partners have worked to promote new plans that aim to damage Israel and increase its isolation in the international community—among them "Freedom Flotilla 2." 2. ECESG was founded in 2007 with the proclaimed aim of bringing about a "total end" to Israel's "siege" on Gaza and bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza residents. This aim helps strengthen the Hamas regime in Gaza and impedes Israel's efforts to ensure no weapons or terror operatives enter the Gaza Strip via land crossings or the sea. 3. ECESG's offices are located in Brussels, but its base of operations is in Britain (historically, a center of Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood operations within Europe). Incorporating more than 30 anti‐Israel and pro‐Hamas organizations across Europe, ECESCG typically acts in conjunction with other like‐minded groups, for example, the "Free Gaza Movement" (FGM) and "Viva Palestina". 4. Among ECESG's top officials are several persons of Palestinian Arab, and specifically Gazan, origin. Residing in London are its official spokesperson (who is a British citizen) and a former Member of Parliament and government minister, who also often represents ECESG as well as the "Palestine Return Centre". However, ECESG mainly consists of Islamist activists, far‐left human‐rights activists, and even environmental activists. 5. Characteristic activities: Organizing flotillas and aid convoys consisting of funds and goods for the Hamas government in Gaza; boycotting Israeli goods, personalities, and institutions; promoting the demand for the "right of return" for all Palestinian refugees; influencing political bodies and public opinion through protests; spreading propaganda; and transferring funds to Hamas institutions. (Some of the people and organizations that are part of ECESG are connected to the Charity Coalition, or Charity of Good). 6. ECESG conducts a great deal of political lobbying, aimed at garnering European support to exert pressure on Israel. For example, on June 16, 2010, after the flotilla incident, delegates from the organization met with Members of the European Parliament at EU headquarters in Strasbourg, where the MPs were updated regarding the details of the "Marmara" flotilla. On the eve of a trip by Catharine Ashton, the EU Foreign Minister, to Israel, the Gaza Strip, and eastern Jerusalem (June 19, 2010), ECESG activists sent a letter June 12th, 2011 in which they explained, in their mind, "why Israel eased the siege." The letter asked Ashton to demand a complete end to the Gaza blockade.1 7. ECESG organizes visits by parliamentary and VIP delegations to the Gaza Strip who meet with Hamas senior members. In mid‐January 2010, ECESG organized a delegation consisting of 50 people, among them politicians and former ministers, who visited the Strip. The goal of the delegation was to collect documents and information and return to their countries and European parliaments in order to advance activities to bring about the end of the Israeli blockade. During the visit, the delegation members met with Hamas lawmakers, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, and the head of UNRWA, John Ging, along with Palestinian NGOs based in the Gaza Strip. After the visit, the ECESG published a press release calling for Israel to lift the blockade immediately, for the International Court of Justice to accuse Israel of war crimes, and for Europe to suspend its commercial ties with Israel. Prominent Activists 8. Information appearing on the ECESG website regarding the organization's activists is sparse. Most of the senior activists from ECESG are members of other anti­Israeli organizations, and are of Palestinian­Arab origin. One of the founders and leaders of the organization is Amin Abou Rashed, who took part in coordinating a European aid convoy of trucks in April‐May 2009. He was also an organizer and participant in the previous flotilla (onboard the ship SFENDONI, also known as 8000). 9. Amin Abou Rashed (or Amin Abou Ibrahim), 43, born in Lebanon to parents of Palestinian‐Arab origin, holds a Dutch passport and is ideologically aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates in Holland and throughout Europe. Previously, he was a member of the al‐Aqsa Foundation in Holland, which belonged to a network of aid foundations in the Union of Good, which distributes financial aid to Hamas. 1 ECESG activists also met with Ashton's predecessor Javier Solana to discuss this matter. The meaning of this demand is opening up all the land‐based and maritime crossings to the Gaza Strip for smuggling weapons and terrorists. ECESG and other organizations of this type entirely ignore the threat of terrorism from Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the security necessities Israel confronts when dealing with this threat in the Gaza Strip. June 12th, 2011 10. The al‐Aqsa Foundation was declared an "unlawful assembly" in 1997 and a terror organization in 1998 by Israel. The U.S. outlawed the Foundation in May 2003. The Dutch branch of the al‐Aqsa Foundation was included in a list of terror organizations recognized by the European Union in June 2003. During the Holy Land Foundation trial in which an American foundation was found to be transferring funds to Hamas, a document signed by Amin Abou Ibrahim was presented. The document included addresses of "charity institutions" in Europe working for Palestine. This document was published as a legal artifact in the successful legal struggle led by the U.S. against this foundation. 11. After the al‐Aqsa Foundation was shut down in Holland, Abou Rashed did not change the nature of his activities and became the head of a local pro‐Hamas organization called PPMS (Palestinian Platform for Human Rights and Solidarity). This organization is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and was founded in 2005. 12. Dr. Arafat Mahmoud Sahari is a Palestinian born in the village of Attil in the Tulkarem district, now a British citizen and a father of three. He completed his doctorate degree on the subject of Palestinian refugees and has authored a book about the status of refugees in Islam. He has been the chairman of ECESG and active in the organization for three years. He also serves as manager of the Palestinian Return Center (PRC), an institution in London which belongs to the ECESG and identifies itself with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. In May 2010 on the eve of the previous flotilla's departure, Dr. Sahari met with Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan while heading a delegation comprising of the ECESG, the PRC, and several other European organizations. During this meeting, Sahari said that Turkey plays a major role in the lifting of the siege in Gaza. In an interview, he described the IHH as one of the organization's greatest allies. 13. Amjad Yaser Abed Almajid al‐Shawe—Born in 1971 in Gaza City, al‐Shawe was involved in preparations for the planned flotilla (Freedom Flotilla 2). His name was raised as manager of the Gaza office for the Palestinian network of NGOs (PNGO). He is active in organizing and coordinating the flotillas. 14. Rami Tzalach Ismail Abda—Born in 1977 in the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza, now living in Manchester, Great Britain. In May 2009, he coordinated the truck aid convoy which included several tons of trucks. The convoy entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing. He is active in organizing the planned flotilla. June 12th, 2011 Below are details on some of the organizations belonging to ECESG: The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) 15. PRC is an organization founded in 1996 with the objective of raising international awareness to what is known as "the right of return" for the Palestinian people. On December 27th, 2010 the ISA released a statement saying that the Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, had signed a decree at the beginning of the month declaring the PRC to be an "unlawful assembly due to its being a part of the Hamas movement." 16.
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