Meet The 'Belgian, French, Qatari' Players Behind The EU Court Decision To Remove Hamas From Terror List.(GMBR).
On 19 December 2014, the London Al-Hiwar TV channel featured an episode of its Palestinian Panorama program that illustrates the key role played by the Global Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas in the EU court ruling which could conceivably lead to Hamas being removed from the EU list of terrorist organizations. The participants in the program discussed, among other things, the recent decision by the General Court of the European Union (EGC) to remove Hamas from the EU terror list. The guest in the studio was Khaled Al-Shouli, identified as a French lawyer of Palestinian descent and a member of the group of lawyers charged with presenting the Hamas case to the EU authorities. The following is a summary of Mr. Al-Shouli’s comments based on a GMBDW translation of the broadcast:
- In 2010, a group of lawyers which cooperates on various Palestinian issues was commissioned by Hamas’s politburo to attempt to remove the EU terrorism listing of Hamas’s political wing. The group was headed by the French attorney Liliane Glock, a specialist in criminal law from Nancy who previously led several successful cases related to Palestinian issues. In her most recent case, the Jewish umbrella organisation CRIF paid damages for defamation of the Comité de Bienfaisance et de Secours aux Palestiniens (CBSP) after publishing an article which claimed that the CBSP was raising funds for Hamas. Khaled Al-Shouli assisted Glock in Hamas’s EU terrorist designation case.
- Another member of the above group is Philippe Favre, described as Secretary-General of One Justice Organization, a top lawyer in the International Coalition for Trying Israeli War Criminals , and former chairman of the Belgian Human Rights League (LDHB). Other group members include the French attorney Gilles Devers, best known for filing a court case to the ICC against Israel concerning the 2008-2009 Gaza conflict, and and possibly Belgian Benoit Van Der Meerschen, current chair of the LDHB.
- Khaled Al-Shouli is encouraged by the fact that the legal system focuses on human and individual rights — especially the right of self-defense. Part of their current work is based on the principle of “lack of justice”. The lawyers are ready for a long-term legal battle in case Israel and the ‘Zionist lobby’ attempt to press individual charges or build broader files against Hamas; they have also prepared their own files on Israeli officials.
On 24 December 2014, the Palestinian news portal Dunya al-Watan reported that Hamas’s Gaza legislator Dr. Ahmad Bahr sent a letter to Liliane Glock and Khaled al-Shouli to thank them for the role they played in removing Hamas from the terror list and also thanked Khaled al-Shouli in a phone call. Hamas’s Legislative Council also sent explanatory memos regarding the decision to the European Parliament and the European Council. The Council urged both increasing the European judicial role in this regard and better implementation of European and international laws on human rights concerning Palestinian resistance [muqawama]groups which defend its people in accordance with humanitarian and human rights laws and UN decisions.
On 30 December 2014, an Islamist news source close to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood reported information further supporting the above account.
In December 2014, the GMBDW reported that Hamas had won a court ruling that could conceivably lead to it being removed from the EU list of terrorist organizations. Additionally, former FBI analyst Mat Levitt has noted that Qatar may have played a role in the Hamas appeal. According to his report, a document on the EU website identifies Qatar in a section entitled “Procedural Analysis Information.”
For the EU court ruling, go here.
For an analysis of the court ruling, go here.
For a profile of Hamas, go here.
Read the full story here.
