The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) has reported on the 9th Palestinians in Europe Conference which was held over the weekend in Wuppertal, Germany and, as always, featured leaders from Hamas and the Global Muslim Brotherhood. According to the PRC report:
Thousands of Palestinians from all across Europe/World took part in the 9th Palestinians in Europe Conference in Wuppertal, Germany Saturday, 7th May 2011. Considerable numbers of Palestinians participated in the event. Young and old, women and men, girls and boys and all age categories enjoyed the conference and its activities. It affirmed on the outcomes and declarations of previous conference held in London 2003, Berlin 2004, Vienna 2005, Malmo 2006, Rotterdam 2007, Copenhagen 2008, Milan 2009 and Berlin 2010. Palestinian politicians, community leaders and other personas participated in the event. They came from different places either in the occupied land of Palestine or the Diaspora. European MPs, activists, journalists and representatives of various NGOs took part in the unique event. Conference President and General Director of the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) as well as Adel Abdallah, General Secretary of the Palestinians in Europe Conference spoke on the opening session. Additionally, Abdelfattah Mourou Tunisian Islam scholar and leader, Fadwa Barghouti Lawyer, spouse of Marwan Barghouti (Fatah Central Committee Member), Shakib Makhlouf Head of the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe, Dr. Suhail Abu Shammala Chairman of the Palestinian Community in Germany (PGD), and ex Jordanian MP, Ali Abu Al Sukar spoke at the same session. German MP, Inge Höger Member of the German Parliament (Bundestag), from DIE LINKE, condemned Israeli polices against Palestinians and salute Palestinian unity inviting all parties to make use of it. Dutch lawyer and Human Rights activist, Filesta Langer spoke on the issue of Palestinian prisoners and commend the struggle of the prisoners in the Israeli jails. The conference was convened under the title, ‘The Return Generation Knows the Path’. Various workshops took place and many issues were discussed like Arab revolutions, Palestinian unity and Middle East peace process. Exhibitions and Folklore performances were carried out as well. PRC General Director, Majed al Zeer said in press statements that the conference came to affirm on the adherence to the Right of Return for Palestinian Refugees. ‘This right is inalienable and non-negotiable. It can’t be vetoed, circumvented, supplanted or altered. The Right of Return is a collective and individual right that is irrevocable. Our people will continue their struggle until it is achieved.’ said al zeer.
Other important figures who spoke at the conference tied to Global Muslim Brotherhood included Amin About Rashed, identified in an earlier post as an organizer of the Gaza Flotilla and a Hamas/Muslim Brotherhood leader in the Netherlands, and Shakib Mahklouf, the leader of the Federation of Islamic Organizations In Europe (FIOE), representing the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe.
The PRC has also co-sponsored past Palestinians in Europe conferences which have featured individuals tied to the global Muslim Brotherhood and/or Hamas. For example, the 2010 conference was scheduled to feature Hamas legislator Aziz Al Duwaik and the 2009 conference was addressed via video link by Gaza Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The 2008 Conference featured , former US. Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammad Akram Al-Adlouni, and Raed Salah, a leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel and close to Hamas. Nihad Awad of the U.S. Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) was also invited to speak.
The PRC, a co-sponsor of the conference, has strong ties to the global Muslim Brotherhood. Two PRC directors are also directors of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), generally regarded as part of the UK. Muslim Brotherhood. The PRC is also listed as an affiliate of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) dominated by UK. Muslim Brotherhood groups. PRC activities are frequently promoted by the MAB, MCB, and other U.K Brotherhood organizations. PRC director Ghassan Four is also a Trustee of INTERPAL, a key member of the Union of Good and part of the Muslim Brotherhood Hamas fund-raising network . PRC director Zaher Birawi is a Trustee of Education Aid for Palestine (EAP), also a part of the Union of Good. Mr. Birawi is also head of programming for Al-Hiwar TV which frequently features MB/Hamas individuals and organizations and was founded by Azzam Al-Tamimi, a U.K Muslim Brotherhood leader and close to Hamas. An Israeli web site, known to be close to Israeli military intelligence, has reported that Mr. Birawi, along with another PRC Trustee are “past Hamas operatives who found refuge in Britain in the early nineties.”
The executive director of the PRC is Arafat Madi (aka Arafat Madi Shoukri) who is also the chairman of the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza (ECESG). Previous posts have discussed the campaign aimed at ending the Israeli blockade likely orchestrated by the global Muslim Brotherhood and its European representatives. A NEFA Foundation report documents the numerous ties between the ECESG and the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), essentially the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe. Earlier posts have discussed plans by a British MP and the Campaign to launch legal action directed at the EU in regard to the Israeli blockade of Gaza and reported that a delegation from an anti-Gaza blockade campaign, likely the ECESG, had been expected to meet with high-ranking EU official Javier Solana. In January 2010, Arafat Madi reportedly met with the President of the European Parliament to discuss the Gaza situation.