France Calls for an Investigation into Possible Beneficiary of European Funding by Hamas

SadaNews - The French Minister of State for European Affairs has requested the European Commission to investigate the possibility of redirecting European funding intended for non-governmental organizations in favor of the Palestinian movement "Hamas."

Bengamin Haddad stated in a letter, dated Tuesday, and addressed to the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, as well as to European Commissioners Dubravka Šuica, Michael McGrath, and Magnus Brunner: "I have recently been alerted to suspicions that Hamas has been imposing restrictions on non-governmental and international organizations operating in Palestinian territories since 2020."

He added, "This information raises significant concerns regarding the integrity of European funding and the protection of European taxpayers, who should be able to ensure that their contributions are used solely for humanitarian purposes," noting that the EU is a donor to some of these humanitarian organizations, such as "Handicap International," "Norwegian Refugee Council," and "International Medical Corps."

In May, the French Minister of State called on Brussels to enhance oversight of European funding to prevent it from going to entities "linked to anti-Semitism or extremists."

Bengamin Haddad mentions in his letter that France, alongside Austria and the Netherlands, has proposed at the European level "proposals aimed at ensuring that beneficiaries of European funding respect and uphold European values."

He continued: "France considers it unacceptable to grant European funding to organizations that work for humanitarian purposes, and whose structures may be under some form of intervention from Hamas networks."

The French official added: "These international organizations should not find themselves in a position where they have to accept support from a structure considered terrorist at the European level in order to operate and provide their humanitarian services," calling for "a full investigation into these accusations."

In addition to calling for transparency and establishing mechanisms to enhance control over funding, France has called for a "more robust" funding suspension mechanism.

Haddad concluded, stating: "In the face of these ongoing violations of rights and European values by external parties, the Union, its agencies, operators, and member states must double their vigilance."