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Interpal cleared of funding terrorist organisations 1

Finance | Vibeka Mair | 27 Feb 2009

Interpal has been cleared of funding partner organisations who promote terrorist ideology by the Charity Commission this week.

Interpal, who has been subject to a Charity Commission inquiry into its work in Palestine, was found to have maintained clear financial audit trails, with a personal acknowledgement of each orphan supported by the charity.

The Commission, however, ordered Interpal to review its monitoring of partner organisations after it found the charity had not put in place adequate due diligence and monitoring procedures to be satisfied that these organisations were not promoting terrorist ideologies or activities.

Interpal was also ordered to cut all ties with Union for Good, a coalition of charities working in occupied Palestinian territories.

Dr Essam Mustafa, vice chairman of Interpal, is general secretary of the Union for Good.

The Commission concluded that there was a lack of clarity surrounding Union for Good’s organisation and that association with its President, who had promoted violence as a legitimate form of resistance in support of the Palestinian cause, was risky.

Third Charity Commission investigation

This is the Commission’s third investigation and clearing of Interpal. The charity was subject to inquiries in 1996 and 2003 for similar charges.

The latest inquiry was triggered by a BBC Panorama show in 2006 called Faith, Hate and Charity, which reported allegations that the majority of Interpal’s funding was sent to local partners that promoted the ideology of Hamas in occupied Palestinian territories and that a trustee of the charity had links with senior Hamas figures.

Ibrahim Hewitt (pictured), chairman of Interpal attacked the BBC for the report, but had no ill-will towards the Charity Commission:

“The BBC broadcast was totally irresponsible,” Hewitt said, “Now, after a most rigorous process, these accusations have been refuted by the inquiry.

“Given the obvious collaboration between the Israelis and Panorama, it is hard not to conclude that we are the target of an ongoing and concerted political campaign design to bring a halt to our humanitarian work in the region. We fully understand the pressure to which the Charity Commission itself has been subjected.”

Hewitt, however, criticised the Commission for cutting off Interpal's relationship with Union for Good and asked the regulator to revisit the issue.

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