Conference organizers have issued a report on the 13th annual Palestinians in Europe Conference held this year in Berlin, Germany on April 25. According to the report:
May 1, 2015 The annual 13th Palestinians in Europe Conference convened in Berlin, Germany on Saturday, 25 April 2015. The conference was convened under the title, ‘The Palestinians of Europe and their National Project’. It was organized by General Secretariat of the Palestinians in Europe Conference, the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), and the Palestinian Assembly in Germany.
According to the German police and organizers’ figures; more than 15 thousands participated in the annual event, which was attended by delegations from various European countries. A number of Palestinian politicians, community leaders and public figures participated in the event. They came from locations either in the occupied Palestinian territories or the Diaspora. European MPs, activists, journalists and representatives of various NGOs also took part in this year’s event. Representative of Arab and Muslim NGOs and communities in Europe took part at the event.
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered sent a written speech to the Conference where he expressed the deep support for the Palestinian people. The Kingdom of Morocco officially dispatched its minister of Justice, Dr. Mustafa Al Rumaid, who delivered a speech at the conference.
European MPs and MEPs took part at the event such as, Lord Hugh Dykes of the House of lords in the UK and MP John Finnie Independent MSP for the Highlands and Islands in addition to Mr. Pat Sheehan of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Additionally, German politician, Alexandra Thein of the Free Democratic Party took part at the event. The conference launched a number of Initiatives for the Palestinians in Europe such as the Palestinian Chamber of Commerce in Europe, the Palestinian Association of Sport and the General Association for Unions.
Read the rest here.
Video of the conference revealed that speakers and/or participants of interest included, as in years past, various individuals tied to the Global Muslim Brotherhood and/or Hamas:
- Mustafa Al Rumaid (Moroccan Minister of Justice and leader of the Justice And Development Party, close to the Global Muslim Brotherhood)
- Yusuf Mudallal of the (Hamas Ministry of Health)
- Chakib Bin Makhlouf (former head of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe)
- Amin Abou Rashed (Netherlands, part of Hamas in Europe)
- Nasser Al-Hindi (deputy head of the International Commission To Build Gaza, tied to the Muslim Brotherhood)
- Ziyad El-Aloul ( Chairman of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, Palestinian Business Forum)
- Adel Abdullah (Aka Adel Doghman, Hamas support infrastructure in Austria)
- Majed Al-Zeer (UK, Palestinian Return Centre)
Another key participant and speaker at the conference was Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, who has been known for his long-term cooperation with international activists from the far-left, the Global Muslim Brotherhood, and some elements within the Palestinian Authority. Dr. Barghouti is widely believed to be a “non-violent” activist against Israel but has been organizationally involved in a variety of political activities in the West Bank and Gaza where serious violence has occurred. Western politicians who spoke at the conference included:
- Lord Dykes, (British Liberal-Democrat)
- John Finnie (Scottish Parliament)
- Alexandra Thein (MEP, Germany Free Democratic Party)
- Pat Sheehan (Irish Shin Fenn)
As indicated by the conference video although almost all speakers were tied to the Global Muslim Brotherhood, this year’s conference featured more emphasis on Palestinian unity. Clear anti-Semitic remarks were made by Khaled Barakat, a Beirut based senior member of the Marxist Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine (PFLP), who said “we know” that the Zionist movement controls the money and the media.
The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), the main sponsor of the conference, has many ties to the Global Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas and past Palestinians in Europe conferences have featured other leaders of the Global Muslim Brotherhood and/or Hamas. For example, the 2009 conference was addressed via video link by Gaza Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the 2008 Conference featured former US. Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammad Akram Al-Adlouni who is close to Youssef Qaradawi. Nihad Awad of the US Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) was also invited to speak at the 2008 conference.
For the conference statement, go here.
