An Israeli NGO close to the country’s military intelligence is reporting that Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Hama in Gaza, has congratulated the general director of the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), on receiving a non-governmental observer status in the UN Committee on NGOs. The ITIC report begins:
Hamas’s media reported that Hamas’s senior figure Ismail Haniya congratulated Majed al-Zeer, the general director of the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), on receiving a non-governmental observer status in the UN Committee on NGOs. The PRC’s spokesman denied the report.
1. Hamas’s English-language and Arabic-language media announced on June 3,2015, that Ismail Haniya, deputy chief of Hamas’s Political Bureau, congratulatedMajed al-Zeer, the general director of the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), forhaving been granted a non-governmental observer status in the UN Committee onNon-Governmental Organizations. The congratulations were conveyed on atelephone call, apparently on June 2.
2. Following is the text of the announcement on Ismail Haniya’s telephone call as appeared on Hamas’s websites in Arabic and in English:
Read the rest here.
The GMBDW reported last week that a UN committee had accorded the PRC accreditation as a Non-Governmental Organization. The GMBDW reported in April that the regional coordinator for the PRC had attended a Hamas-organized seminar in Gaza. In February, we reported on connections between the PRC and the UK Labour Party.
The UK-based Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) describes itself as “an independent consultancy focusing on the historical, political and legal aspects of the Palestinian Refugees.” The PRC has many ties to the Global Muslim Brotherhood and/or Hamas and current and past PRC directors have also been directors of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), a part of the UK Muslim Brotherhood.
For a profile on the PRC, go here.
(NOTE: The GMBDW has been tracking activity centered on attempts by Global Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas front groups to gain recognition at the UN. These efforts will be discussed in a future report at the Global Muslim Brotherhood Research Center.)