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๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Israel /Crime & Justice

Germany supported Hamas-linked organization for years without tracking funds, audit finds

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • A German audit revealed the foreign office funded an organization with ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood without tracking how the money was used until 2019.
  • The organization, Islamic Relief Germany, received millions in funding from successive German governments despite being banned in Israel since 2014 due to its alleged links to terrorist groups.
  • The German Foreign Office stopped funding the organization in 2019, and its membership in a German aid alliance was suspended in 2020.

Germany's Foreign Office supported an aid organization with alleged ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood for years without adequately tracking the funds, according to a confidential audit report by Germany's Federal Court of Auditors. The Institute for Secular Law (IFW) obtained the report after a five-year effort.

a shocking naivety on the part of the Foreign Office.

· Seyran AteลŸIFW advisory board member Seyran AteลŸ commented on the findings of the audit report.

The organization, Islamic Relief Germany (IRD), had been considered a respected Muslim charity and received millions of euros from various German governments, including those led by Angela Merkel. It was also a member of the German aid alliance "Aktion Deutschland Hilft" and had garnered support from prominent figures.

However, by 2019, the Foreign Ministry ceased funding IRD. The German government stated on April 15, 2019, that both IRD and its parent organization, Islamic Relief Worldwide, had "significant personnel connections to the Muslim Brotherhood or organizations close to it." The government also acknowledged knowing since 2014 that Islamic Relief Worldwide, including its German branch, was banned in Israel and considered part of the financial system of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, classifying it as a "terrorist organization."

significant personnel connections to the Muslim Brotherhood or organizations close to it.

· German governmentThe German government's statement on April 15, 2019, regarding Islamic Relief Germany and its parent organization.

IRD's membership in "Aktion Deutschland Hilft" was suspended in 2020. The audit report, classified as confidential, was sought by IFW advisory board member Seyran AteลŸ through Germany's Freedom of Information Act. After initial denials and appeals, AteลŸ filed a lawsuit against the Federal Court of Auditors and the Foreign Office, who argued that publishing the report's findings would be problematic.

Islamic Relief Worldwide,โ€ including its German branch IRD, was banned in Israel, regarded as โ€œpart of the financial system of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood movement,โ€ and therefore classified as a โ€œterrorist organization.โ€

· German governmentThe German government's admission regarding its knowledge of Islamic Relief Worldwide and IRD since 2014.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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