Vision to Reality: The Reut Blog

One of the main players in the coalition of nongovernmental organizations that planned and organized the Gaza Flotilla was the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG). Based in Brussels, the ECESG is an umbrella organization of over 30 NGO’s that are publicly committed to both advancing the rights of Gaza’s citizens and pressuring Israel to change its blockade policy (they term it siege).

On the surface, the ECESG appears to be an ordinary, liberal-progressive solidarity coalition devoted to universal humanitarian principles. But closer examination reveals that Hamas representatives in London played a significant role in the establishment of the organization and continue to play a significant role in its activity.[1]

More than anything else, the ECESG exemplifies the increasing cooperation between Hamas-affiliated organizations and some European liberal-progressives. This cooperation, often under the guise of human rights activity, allows Hamas to promote its radical agenda through internationally legitimate actors. To put it bluntly, Hamas has grown more aware of the potential of the western progressive elite as an important ally in the delegitimization of Israel

Moreover, the fact that Hamas activists from London participated in the establishment of the ECESG demonstrates, once again, the reach of London as a hub of delegitimization whose influence surpasses its borders.

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[1] There are a number of indicators for Hamas involvement in the ECESG: On the ECESG website, the London-based Palestinian Return Center (PRC) is mentioned first in the list of founding NGO’s. Also, the PRC was founded by, and is still run by, several former Hamas activists. It is also connected to Hamas’s “Union of Good” network in the U.K). The ties between the PRC and ECESG are so tight that the chairman of the ECESG also serves as the accusative director of the PRC (as of 2005). One of ECESG’s top activists was known in the past as a “Union of Good” activist in Switzerland. See Family Security Matters Blog. 02/06/10