Interpal is the most important Palestinian fund operating in Britain. During the last decade (and beforehand under a different name) Interpal helped transfer large sums of money collected in Britain and elsewhere to charitable societies and committees operating in the Palestinian Authority (PA) – administered territories. However, most, if not all, of those charitable societies and committees are actually Hamas-operated and therefore contribute significantly to maintaining the large-scale, local Hamas civilian (and terrorist-operational) infrastructure (da’wah). Consequently, Interpal was outlawed by Israel in 1997 and declared a terrorist organization in 1998. Furthermore, in the United States it was designated by Executive Order 13224 (August 2003) as an entity that “commits, or threatens to commit or supports terrorism.”
It is therefore the aim of this bulletin to show that Interpal serves as a subordinate Hamas organization operating in Britain, perhaps the most important of its kind in Europe. Its main role is not exclusively humanitarian: rather, its function to maintain the Hamas infrastructure while at the same time supporting its terrorist-operational apparatus in the PA-administered territories through local charitable societies and committees. Thus it effectively assists Hamas in its efforts to establish itself as an Islamic alternative to the rival Fatah-dominated secularly-oriented Palestinian Authority, at the same time helping it to continue its devastating and lethal terrorist activities against Israel.
Nevertheless, and contrary to the current international war on terrorism, the British authorities, which otherwise play an active role in that war, have not taken effective measures to stop Interpal’s activities. Hence, in view of the new information included in this bulletin, it is hoped that the British authorities will review their attitude towards Interpal and take the necessary measures to stop their activities permanently.
