Britain Is New Hamas Hub

Malkah Fleisher Britain Is New Hamas Hub

In the last 10 years, London has become the primary worldwide bastion of Hamas, according to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, a non-governmental organization dedicated to the memory of fallen Israeli Intelligence Community agents. Britain in recent years has consitituted a legal threat to Israeli officials who are being accused of harming PA Arabs. An arrest warrant issued in December against opposition leader Tzipi Livni is just one instance of an aggressive stance toward the Jewish State.

In 2005, General Doron Almog was informed by Israel's ambassador to Britain that he may be arrested if he exited his plane in London. He chose to stay aboard and return to Israel after having traveled to England to raise money for a charity.

The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center report shows that these incidents are not accidental, but rather concentrated political activity by the Hamas terror organization. The findings say London has become the epicenter of Hamas' political, legal, and propaganda campaigns in Europe. Hamas operatives note that they have been particularly successful, with the assistance of the Muslim Brotherhood, in controlling the discourse regarding Arabs in Israel, and initiating widespread anti-Zionism throughout the country.

The report estimates that Britain's value in Hamas's eyes stems from a series of advantages that Hamas finds in that country:

A. Political freedom and freedom of speech prevailing in Britain allows Hamas to promote anti-Zionism freely. Hamas takes advantage of British democracy to spread incitement against Israel and lash out against Israel and the Jewish people. This is despite Hamas' distinction as a terrorist organization by the European Union. Though activities by terror groups is technically illegal in Britain, the legal system has shown great tolerance, which has been exploited by radical Islamic elements, including Hamas.

B. A broad infrastructure of activists, supporters, and collaborators consisting of Hamas activists who took refuge in Britain in the 1990s, as well as radical Islamic elements such as prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood, and radical leftist organizations which are hostile to Israel and the West. This team is enabling Hamas to reach into the political, media and academic arenas in Britain.

C. Britain is one of the world's most important communications hubs, especially when it comes to Arab media such as newspapers, Internet, and television. Hamas exploits Arab media operating in London to spread its messages in the Muslim communities of the world, including Western countries and the Middle East.

D. Hamas is exploiting aspects of the British legal system which enable them to file lawsuits in British courts against senior officers and political figures in Israel for "war crimes." This has created a convenient situation in which Hamas, with the support of the British infrastructure, is leveraging the Goldstone report in order to prosecute Israeli public fiures and de-legitimize Israel.

The report says Hamas works hard to conceal their activities and avoid prosecution, rarely attributing to themselves the disinformation and advocacy of violence they publish and distribute. Because they consider children to be a primary target for their messaging, they spend a lot of effort writing anti-Israel and pro-war propaganda for minors.

Hamas also uses British organizations, politicians, and other channels to garner money and supplies for use in Gaza, according to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.