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DrRevXyzzy (talk | contribs) manual undo of last edit by Steloukos - stop lying on your edit summaries. the shit you removed WAS cited and you didn't summarize half of it. do a better job or don't do it at all |
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== Background == |
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IHH (Humanitarian Relief Foundation) engages in social and cultural activities in addition to health services. The foundation runs the [[Africa Cataract Project]], begun in 2007, in ten African countries. Other activities include providing [[health care]] and [[water well]]s in Africa. |
IHH (Humanitarian Relief Foundation) engages in social and cultural activities in addition to health services. The foundation runs the [[Africa Cataract Project]], begun in 2007, in ten African countries. Other activities include providing [[health care]] and [[water well]]s in Africa. |
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==Allegations of Islamist and Jihadist affiliations== |
==Allegations of Islamist and Jihadist affiliations== |
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[[The Daily Telegraph]] reports "Israel accuses the organization of "overtly supporting Hamas."<ref name=Spencer/> |
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According to Henri Barkey, an analyst for the [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]], the IHH is, "an Islamist organisation as it has been deeply involved with Hamas for some time." <ref name=Spencer/> |
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⚫ | According to the Israeli [[Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center]], the IHH is affiliated with [[Hamas]] and the Union of the Good, an Islamic umbrella affiliated with the [[Muslim Brotherhood]]. <ref>http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=177167</ref> [[Mark Sofer]], the Israeli Ambassador to [[India]] told |
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⚫ | A member of the group, Izzet Sahin, had previously been arrested by the Israeli security forces on accusation of aiding [[Palestinian]] organizations banned by Israel. Serkan Nergis, a spokesman for IHH, told Reuters: "We don't have anything against Israel. Our only aim was to carry aid to the people of Gaza. But for Israel, regardless of your religion or your nationality, if you help the people of Gaza you will be declared a terrorist." <ref name=Reuters/> |
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In 2006, the [[Danish Institute for International Studies]] published a [[working paper]] titled "The Role of Islamic Charities in International Terrorist Recruitment and Financing", by American analyst [[Evan Kohlmann]]. Kohlmann claimed that major international Islamic charities such as IHH, while providing genuine humanitarian relief, are "charitable front groups that provide support to Al-Qaida."<ref name=Kohlmann>[[Evan F. Kohlmann]], [http://www.diis.dk/graphics/Publications/WP2006/DIIS%20WP%202006-7.web.pdf] The Role of Islamic Charities in International Terrorist Recruitment and Financing ([[PDF]] file), [[International Studies Danish Institute]]</ref> Kohlmann's sources in making links between IHH and such groups are a [[closing argument]] for the [[prosecution]] in a 2001 [[court case]] (although Kohlmann calls it a "French intelligence report") by French investigative magistrate [[Jean-Louis Bruguière]], |
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⚫ | A member of the group, Izzet Sahin, had previously been arrested by the Israeli security forces on |
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<ref>Cited by Kohlmann as: Jean-Louis Bruguiere and Jean-Francois Ricard. “Requisitoire Definitifaux aux Fins de Non-Lieu. De Non-Lieu partiel. |
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De Requalification. De Renvoi devant le Tribunal Correctionnel, de mantien sous Controle Judiciaiare et de maintien en Detention.” {{sic}} |
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Cour D’Appel de Paris; Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris. No. Parquet: P96 253 3901.2. Pages 112-113 </ref> evidence presented by Bruguière as an [[expert witness]] in US vs. Ressam<ref>Cited by Kohlmann as: “Reporter’s Transcript of Proceedings.” United States of America v. Ahmed Ressam, aka Benni Noris. United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Case #: CR 99-666-JCC. Dated April 2, 2001. Pages 11-12.</ref> and assorted news articles. Citing Bruguière's 2001 closing argument as his source, Kohlmann also blamed IHH for assisting the Iraqi [[Sunni]] insurgency, and mentioned a [[1997]] raid on the IHH headquarters in Istanbul in which police was said to have found weapons, explosives and [[bomb]]-making instructions, as well as records of calls to an al-Qaida guest house in Milan.<ref name=Kohlmann/> |
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⚫ | According to the Israeli [[Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center]], the IHH is affiliated with [[Hamas]] and the Union of the Good, an Islamic umbrella affiliated with the [[Muslim Brotherhood]]. <ref>http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=177167</ref> [[Mark Sofer]], the Israeli Ambassador to [[India]] told [[The Economic Times]] that the IHH is "a jihadist organisation with close ties to Al-Qaeda."<ref>[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Flotilla-was-sent-by-group-with-links-to-Al-Qaeda-Israel/articleshow/6000825.cms] Flotilla was sent by group with links to Al-Qaeda: Israel, 2 Jun 2010, The Economic Times.</ref> |
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Analysts from the [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]]<ref name=policy>[http://washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3208 Fallout from the Gaza Flotilla Tragedy] By Matthew Levitt, David Makovsky, and Jeffrey White, [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]], June 1, 2010}}</ref>, the [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]]<ref name=Spencer/> and the [[Danish Institute for International Studies]]<ref name=Kohlmann/> have published papers and reports describing links between IHH and Hamas or Al-Qaida. |
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A 1996 [[CIA]] report on terrorist abuse of charities, declassified after the [[September 11 attacks]], documented IHH as a charity with ties to "Iran and Algerian groups." According to the report, the director of the IHH office in Sarajevo "has been linked to Iranian operatives." The report described "the terrorist-related activities and linkages" of fifteen selected "Islamic NGOs," noting that "individuals connected to some of these NGOs have plotted to kidnap or kill U.S. personnel." And according to French court documents, IHH was the subject of a Turkish criminal investigation in late 1997 when sources revealed that leaders of the group were purchasing automatic weapons from other regional Islamist militant groups. Based on an analysis of seized IHH documents, Turkish authorities concluded that "detained members of IHH were going to fight in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Chechnya."<ref name=policy>[http://washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3208 Fallout from the Gaza Flotilla Tragedy] By Matthew Levitt, David Makovsky, and Jeffrey White, [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]], June 1, 2010}}</ref> |
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IHH is a member of the "[[Union of Good]]" (Itelaf al-Khair, also known as the "Charity Coalition").{{Citation needed|date=June 4, 2010}} According to [[Palestinian]] intelligence, this organization "is considered -- with regard to material support -- one of the biggest Hamas supporters."{{Citation needed|date=June 4, 2010}} Israel outlawed the Union of Good in February 2002, and the United States named it a specially designated global terrorist entity in November 2008. According to the U.S. [[Treasury Department]], the Union of Good was created by the Hamas leadership "in order to facilitate the transfer of funds to Hamas." Intelligence underpinning the U.S. designation noted that the group "facilitates the transfer of tens of millions of dollars a year to Hamas-managed associations." It also "acts as a broker for Hamas by facilitating financial transfers between a web of charitable organizations...and Hamas-controlled organizations in the West Bank and Gaza."<ref name=policy/> |
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According to statements issued by the U.S. government, the primary purpose behind the founding of the Union of Good by Hamas leaders was "to strengthen Hamas' political and military position in the West Bank and Gaza, including by: (i) diverting charitable donations to support Hamas members and the families of terrorist operatives; and (ii) dispensing social welfare and other charitable services on behalf of Hamas."<ref name=policy/> |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
Revision as of 16:29, 4 June 2010
İnsane Yardım Vakfı (full Turkish name: İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri İnsani Yardım Vakfı, in English: The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief), often given simply with the acronym IHH from its German name Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation, is a Turkish Islamic NGO active in more than one hundred countries, all over the world. Established in 1992 and officially registered in Istanbul in 1995, IHH provides humanitarian relief into areas of war, earthquake, hunger and conflict.[1] The IHH holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2004.[2]
Israel and various international organizations (such as the Danish Institute for International Studies[3] claim that the IHH had ties with radical militant Islamic groups (such as Hamas and Al-Qaeda) and that the IHH was aiding terrorism.
The IHH came to international attention in the aftermath of the Gaza flotilla raid on 31 May 2010. The IHH was owner and operator of three of the six flotilla ships involved in the incident, including the MV Mavi Marmara which served as the flagship of the convoy.[4][5] Nine passengers aboard Mavi Marmara, were killed by Israeli forces in a violent skirmish that followed commandos boarding the vessel.[6][7][8]
Humanitarian activities
IHH (Humanitarian Relief Foundation) engages in social and cultural activities in addition to health services. The foundation runs the Africa Cataract Project, begun in 2007, in ten African countries. Other activities include providing health care and water wells in Africa.
IHH sent two cargo planes to Haiti with 33 tons of humanitarian aid supplies after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[9]
IHH was one of the organizers of the Gaza flotilla, an aid flotilla of six ships carrying 663 activists from 37 nations[10] with the stated intention of breaking through the blockade of the Gaza strip[11][12] to deliver humanitarian supplies.[13] [14].
The six ships were boarded and seized by Israeli naval forces in international waters on May 31, 2010, and subsequently towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where the cargo was unloaded, inspected and ultimately taken by road to Gaza, where it was refused. On one of the ships--the Turkish registered vessel MV Mavi Marmara--Israeli commandos met resistance from passengers wielding clubs, chains and knives. In the ensuing melee, at least ten passengers died,.[15] The incident prompted international reaction, and resulted in Egypt opening its Rafah Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip.[16]
According to Reuters, "the Istanbul-based Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) is an Islamic charity group banned in Israel that was formed to provide aid to Bosnian Muslims in the mid-1990s. It has been involved in aid missions in Pakistan, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Indonesia, Iraq, Palestinian territories and other places, according to Turkish media." [17] The organization's website describes activity in Turkey, the Middle East, Europe, South America, Central Asia, South Asia, and the Caucasus.[18]
Allegations of Islamist and Jihadist affiliations
The Daily Telegraph reports "Israel accuses the organization of "overtly supporting Hamas."[1]
According to Henri Barkey, an analyst for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the IHH is, "an Islamist organisation as it has been deeply involved with Hamas for some time." [1]
A member of the group, Izzet Sahin, had previously been arrested by the Israeli security forces on accusation of aiding Palestinian organizations banned by Israel. Serkan Nergis, a spokesman for IHH, told Reuters: "We don't have anything against Israel. Our only aim was to carry aid to the people of Gaza. But for Israel, regardless of your religion or your nationality, if you help the people of Gaza you will be declared a terrorist." [17]
In 2006, the Danish Institute for International Studies published a working paper titled "The Role of Islamic Charities in International Terrorist Recruitment and Financing", by American analyst Evan Kohlmann. Kohlmann claimed that major international Islamic charities such as IHH, while providing genuine humanitarian relief, are "charitable front groups that provide support to Al-Qaida."[3] Kohlmann's sources in making links between IHH and such groups are a closing argument for the prosecution in a 2001 court case (although Kohlmann calls it a "French intelligence report") by French investigative magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière, [19] evidence presented by Bruguière as an expert witness in US vs. Ressam[20] and assorted news articles. Citing Bruguière's 2001 closing argument as his source, Kohlmann also blamed IHH for assisting the Iraqi Sunni insurgency, and mentioned a 1997 raid on the IHH headquarters in Istanbul in which police was said to have found weapons, explosives and bomb-making instructions, as well as records of calls to an al-Qaida guest house in Milan.[3]
According to the Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, the IHH is affiliated with Hamas and the Union of the Good, an Islamic umbrella affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. [21] Mark Sofer, the Israeli Ambassador to India told The Economic Times that the IHH is "a jihadist organisation with close ties to Al-Qaeda."[22]
A 1996 CIA report on terrorist abuse of charities, declassified after the September 11 attacks, documented IHH as a charity with ties to "Iran and Algerian groups." According to the report, the director of the IHH office in Sarajevo "has been linked to Iranian operatives." The report described "the terrorist-related activities and linkages" of fifteen selected "Islamic NGOs," noting that "individuals connected to some of these NGOs have plotted to kidnap or kill U.S. personnel." And according to French court documents, IHH was the subject of a Turkish criminal investigation in late 1997 when sources revealed that leaders of the group were purchasing automatic weapons from other regional Islamist militant groups. Based on an analysis of seized IHH documents, Turkish authorities concluded that "detained members of IHH were going to fight in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Chechnya."[23]
IHH is a member of the "Union of Good" (Itelaf al-Khair, also known as the "Charity Coalition").[citation needed] According to Palestinian intelligence, this organization "is considered -- with regard to material support -- one of the biggest Hamas supporters."[citation needed] Israel outlawed the Union of Good in February 2002, and the United States named it a specially designated global terrorist entity in November 2008. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the Union of Good was created by the Hamas leadership "in order to facilitate the transfer of funds to Hamas." Intelligence underpinning the U.S. designation noted that the group "facilitates the transfer of tens of millions of dollars a year to Hamas-managed associations." It also "acts as a broker for Hamas by facilitating financial transfers between a web of charitable organizations...and Hamas-controlled organizations in the West Bank and Gaza."[23]
According to statements issued by the U.S. government, the primary purpose behind the founding of the Union of Good by Hamas leaders was "to strengthen Hamas' political and military position in the West Bank and Gaza, including by: (i) diverting charitable donations to support Hamas members and the families of terrorist operatives; and (ii) dispensing social welfare and other charitable services on behalf of Hamas."[23]
External links
- IHH Official Website
- Gaza Flotilla: Israel view following attacks by Israel
- Africa Cataract Project
- http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hamas_e109.htm
- http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3897667,00.html
- http://www.diis.dk/graphics/Publications/WP2006/DIIS%20WP%202006-7.web.pdf International Intelligence Agencies reporting on IHH
References
- ^ a b c [1], Gaza flotilla: the Free Gaza Movement and the IHH , Telegraph, Richard Spencer, 31 May 2010.
- ^ "Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, The". NGO Branch, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
- ^ a b c Evan F. Kohlmann, [2] The Role of Islamic Charities in International Terrorist Recruitment and Financing (PDF file), Danish Institute for International Studies Cite error: The named reference "Kohlmann" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Slackman, Michael (3 June 2010). "In Bid to Quell Anger Over Raid, Israel Frees Detainees". New York Times. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ^ Reynolds, Paul (2 June 2010). "Israeli convoy raid: What went wrong?". BBC News. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
- ^ Edmund Sanders (June 1, 2010). "Israel criticized over raid on Gaza flotilla". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
- ^ Al Jazeera staff and agencies (May 31, 2010). "Israel attacks Gaza aid fleet". Al-Jazeera. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
- ^ CNN Wire Staff (May 31, 2010). "Israeli assault on Gaza-bound flotilla leaves at least 9 dead". CNN. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
{{cite news}}
:|author=
has generic name (help) - ^ [3]
- ^ http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-transfers-hundreds-of-gaza-flotilla-activists-to-airport-for-deportation-1.293634
- ^ http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=57732§ionid=351020101
- ^ http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/letters/Israel+blockade+Gaza/3105257/story.html
- ^ Black, Ian; Haroon Siddique (31 May 2010). "Q&A: The Gaza Freedom flotilla". The Guardian (Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/31/q-a-gaza-freedom-flotilla. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
- ^ "Israel's flotilla raid revives questions of international law". Washingtonpost.com. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/01/AR2010060102934.html?hpid=topnews. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
- ^ "Israel's flotilla raid revives questions of international law". Washingtonpost.com. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/01/AR2010060102934.html?hpid=topnews. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
- ^ Alastair Macdonald (1 June 2010). "Egypt opens Gaza border after Israel ship clash". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6502H820100601. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ a b Factbox: Turkish charity group behind Gaza-bound convoy, Reuters, Mon May 31, 2010
- ^ IHH Official Website
- ^ Cited by Kohlmann as: Jean-Louis Bruguiere and Jean-Francois Ricard. “Requisitoire Definitifaux aux Fins de Non-Lieu. De Non-Lieu partiel. De Requalification. De Renvoi devant le Tribunal Correctionnel, de mantien sous Controle Judiciaiare et de maintien en Detention.” [sic] Cour D’Appel de Paris; Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris. No. Parquet: P96 253 3901.2. Pages 112-113
- ^ Cited by Kohlmann as: “Reporter’s Transcript of Proceedings.” United States of America v. Ahmed Ressam, aka Benni Noris. United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Case #: CR 99-666-JCC. Dated April 2, 2001. Pages 11-12.
- ^ http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=177167
- ^ [4] Flotilla was sent by group with links to Al-Qaeda: Israel, 2 Jun 2010, The Economic Times.
- ^ a b c Fallout from the Gaza Flotilla Tragedy By Matthew Levitt, David Makovsky, and Jeffrey White, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, June 1, 2010}}