IHH – The Foundation for Human Rights & Humanitarian Relief: Behind the Flotilla Violence

Posted on: May 31, 2010

Initial reports about the deadly clashes between armed activists and Israeli naval commandos that erupted following Israel’s interdiction of the Free Gaza flotilla indicate that the Israeli soldiers were ambushed on a ship sponsored by an extremist Turkish organization, the Foundation for Human Rights & Humanitarian Relief, better known under its Turkish acronym IHH.

The interception of the flotilla followed numerous warnings given to the organizers before leaving their ports as well as while sailing towards the Gaza Strip. In these warnings, it was made clear to the organizers that they could dock in the Ashdod sea port and unload the equipment they are carrying in order to deliver it to the Gaza Strip in an orderly manner, following the appropriate security checks. Upon expressing their unwillingness to cooperate and arrive at the port, it was decided to board the ships and lead them to Ashdod.

The IHH has a long history of cooperation with Islamic terrorists.

French counter-terrorism magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière testified during the trial of failed Montreal-based Millennium bomber Ahmed Ressam that IHH had played an “important role” in the Al-Qaeda terrorist plot. He further stated that in relation to the Montreal-based al-Qaeda cell:

The IHH is an NGO, but it was kind of a type of cover-up in order to obtain forged documents and also to obtain different forms of infiltration for Mujahideen in combat. And also to go and gather these Mujahideens. And finally, one of the last responsibilities that they had was also to be implicated or involved in weapons trafficking.

According to a French intelligence report quoted in a research paper on the role of Islamic charities in funding and recruiting Jihadis by the Danish Institute for International Studies:

[…] the terrorist infiltration of IHH extended to its most senior ranks. The report, written by famed counterterrorism magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière, revealed that IHH President Bulent Yildrim had directly conspired in the mid-1990s to “recruit veteran soldiers in anticipation of the coming holy war [jihad]. In particular, some men were sent into war zones in Muslim countries in order to acquire combat experience.” Furthermore, in the hopes of “obtaining political support from these countries, financial aid was transferred [on behalf of IHH], as well as caches of firearms, knives, and pre-fabricated explosives.” An examination of IHH’s phone records in Istanbul showed repeated telephone calls in 1996 to an Al-Qaida guesthouse in Milan and various Algerian terrorist operatives active elsewhere in Europe – including the notorious Abu el-Ma`ali, who has been subse- quently termed by U.S. officials as a “junior Osama Bin Laden.”

Furthermore, in 1997, IHH became the object of a criminal investigation when it was revealed that the NGO had acquired semi-automatic weapons from Islamic militant groups. According to the same French intelligence report:

IHH’s bureau in Istanbul was thoroughly searched, and its local officers were arrested. Security forces uncovered an array of disturbing items, including firearms, explosives, bomb-making instructions, and a “jihad flag.” After analyzing seized IHH documents, Turkish authorities concluded that “detained members of IHH were going to fight in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Chechnya

Ironically, while the current Turkish government allowed the IHH to play humanitarian theatrics in the service of Hamas, when a devastating earthquake struck Turkey in 1999, the Turkish government banned IHH from participating in the aid effort “because it was counted among several “fundamentalist organizations” operating “secret bank accounts” that were refusing to allow local authorities to oversee the distribution of their aid resources”.

David Ouellette is the Director of Research and New Media at the Quebec-Israel Committee.

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