French officials' links to Palestinian terrorists revealed

Recent research published by the French news portal Atlantico has revealed disturbing connections between diplomatic missions of France, local authorities and Palestinian organizations linked to Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The findings raise serious questions about the French government's oversight and use of public funds in terrorism-related initiatives terrorism.

The controversy took prominence with the case of Nour Atallah, a Gazan student at France's Sciences Po Lille university who expressed anti-Semitic views and admiration for Hitler, advocating for the extermination of the Jews. According to Atlantico, Atallah, niece of Ayoub Ahmed Atallah - former bodyguard of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin - was one of 174 people from Gaza moved to France through evacuation arrangements coordinated by the French Foreign Ministry. These arrangements reportedly depended on selections made by Hamas authorities in Gaza. The investigation also identified relatives of Moussa Abou Marzouk, a senior leader of the terrorist group, among those transferred, with seized documents revealing secret communications between France and Hamas.

Meetings with terrorists

The allegations include a secret meeting on October 16, 2020 in Doha, Qatar, between senior French intelligence officials and Hamas figures such as Moussa Abou Marzouk and Khaled Meshaal. U.S. intelligence sources reportedly corroborated these claims, evidencing a pattern of covert contact, Atlantico indicated.

Al Bustan Center: a front for terrorism

The Al Bustan sociocultural center, located in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, was inaugurated in 2019 with funding from the French Foreign Ministry and fifteen local authorities, according to Atlantico. Although officially intended to provide educational and psychological support to young Palestinians, the center has been run by individuals with documented links to terrorism.

Daoud Ghoul, the center's director in 2019, had been imprisoned three times for membership in the PFLP, an organization designated as terrorist by the United States. Sara Qaraein, who replaced Ghoul, regularly posted content on Facebook that celebrated convicted terrorists and promoted violence, including a photo of minors in military garb, one of them wearing Hamas insignia and holding a rocket-like object, noted Atlantico. The current director, Kutaybah Odeh, is reportedly linked to the clan of Mohammed Odeh, a member of the Hamas cell in Silwan responsible for attacks that killed 35 Israelis, it added.

The report further described how Hamas operates a reward mechanism for the families of "martyrs," offering social benefits and prestige in exchange for attacks. The Al Bustan center allegedly participates in this system by catering to family members of terrorists, arranging visits to imprisoned members and providing quality education and European-funded travel for the children of operatives, in contrast to the restrictive conditions faced by other Palestinians, the French media outlet reported.

French municipal funding network

The research details how the involvement of French municipalities grew from 15 in 2019 to 34 in 2023, many of them associated with organizations close to the far-left La France Insoumise (Unsubmissive France) party. These municipalities have funded Palestinian projects through entities such as the French Jewish Union for Peace (UJFP) and the Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS). A project in Khuza'a, Gaza, described as "agricultural," would have served as a cover for the construction of Hamas tunnels near the Israeli borderwith access points later discovered within the project's infrastructure, facilitating the October 7, 2023 attacks on Kibbutz Nir Oz, Atlantico reported.

France pushes for recognition of Palestinian state

The report comes as French President Emmanuel Macron pushes for international recognition of the Palestinian state, a move already taken by countries such as Australia, Canada and the UK, which Israel considers a reward for terrorism.