Germany bans pro-Hamas group

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere announced this week that his office had banned the Frankfurt-based International Humanitarian Aid Organization (IHH), effective immediately.

With millions of dollars in donations each year, IHH in Germany directly supports Hamas, “whose charter denies Israel’s right to exist and promotes the use of violence to achieve its political and religious goals,” the statement read in part.

The IHH in Frankfurt has denied any connections with the Turkish-based organization of the same name that sponsored the recent flotilla ship, the Mavi Marmara, which challenged Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Three parliamentarians from the German Left Party were on board that boat. Although its logo is virtually identical to the group in Germany, the IHH in Turkey does not list the group in Germany on its website.— jta