NEFA Foundation Report - "The Union of Good: INTERPAL and the U.K. Member Organizations"
By Evan Kohlmann
The NEFA Foundation has released a new report by NEFA Senior Analyst Steve Merley titled, "The Union of Good: INTERPAL and the U.K. Member Organizations." The Union of Good (UG) is a coalition of Islamic charities that provides financial support to both the Hamas “social” infrastructure, as well as its terrorist activities. In November 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department designated the UG. The U.K. is an important area of operation for the UG, with six known member organizations operating within its borders, including INTERPAL, probably the single most important UG member. As with the UG itself, the U.K member organizations, their donors, and their leaders are often associated with the global Muslim Brotherhood and are themselves frequently inter-related, sometimes sharing Trustees, banks, and in some cases, using each other to deliver aid and/or donating to each other. The U.K member organizations appear to also deliver aid in a similar manner, donating to “partner” organizations in the Palestinian Territories, many of which are associated with Hamas and who are responsible for use of the aid money. It is often difficult to understand how the UG member charity money is actually used, as funded projects are described in only general terms. Of the six UG member organizations in the U.K, only INTERPAL has been the subject of any substantial investigation. And, despite evidence that INTERPAL aid is going to Hamas-related organizations, the organization continues to operate, although it is facing mounting banking problems probably related to the U.S. designation of the UG as a terrorist entity.
The report can be downloaded from the NEFA Foundation website.
