In Italy, ‘a round of applause’ for the Amsterdam pogrom

The leader of the Association of Palestinians in Italy, Mohammad Hannoun, praised the perpetrators of the pogrom that occurred in Amsterdam on November 7^th, when Islamist thugs attacked the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans after the game against Ajax. The statement was made during a pro-Pal demonstration in Milan on Saturday November 9^th.

Once again, it is worth reminding that Israelis were ambushed at various locations, outside the stadium, in different parts of the city where they were chased, thrown in the canals, beaten, stabbed and car rammed; their cell phones and passports were stolen and their personal info spread on the web.

Hannoun, microphone in hand, in front of a crowd displaying Palestinian flags and a photo of Yahya Sinwar, said:

“First of all, let’s send a round of applause to the youth of Amsterdam. A round of applause to all the young people, boys and girls, who have taught a lesson”, applauding the “lesson” given to the Jews in the Dutch capital.

On October 7th, 2024, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated three individuals and one sham charity that are prominent international financial supporters of Hamas, as well as one Hamas-controlled financial institution in Gaza.

Among the sanctioned individuals is Hannoun, who has been indicated by Washington as: “an Italy-based Hamas member who established the Charity Association of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, or Associazione Benefica di Solidarietà con il Popolo Palestinese (ABSPP), a sham charity in Italy which ostensibly raises funds for humanitarian purposes, but in reality helps bankroll Hamas’s military wing. As an executive at ABSPP, Hannoun has sent money to Hamas-controlled organizations since at least 2018. He has solicited funding for Hamas with senior Hamas officials and sent at least $4 million to Hamas over a 10-year period”.

Hannoun, a Palestinian architect based in Genoa, is also the founder of the Charity Association of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (ABSPP). In December of 2021, after several reports to the Anti-Money Laundering Office, Unicredit Bank suspended operations on the accounts of the ABSPP, which also has offices in Milan and Rome, due to a series of anomalies. From failure to register in the Revenue Agency register to the massive movement of cash, in some cases to subjects registered on the blacklists of European databases. However, according to the Italian media, the indictment that was launched by the judicial office did not lead anywhere due to the lack of verifiable elements in the Palestinian territories.

Moreover, in August 2022, an investigative report published by OFCS Report, an Italian observatory with expertise in national and international security, exposed a series of political connections regarding Hannoun, on a national and international level, including photos of him next to Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Meshaal.

In July 0f 2023, the Israeli Ministry of Defense asked the Italian police to seize Hannoun’s money. From the investigation conducted by the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, it emerged that 500 thousand euros were available to the architect who in the past was accused by Israel, without any criminal repercussions, of hiding financial support to Palestinian suicide bombers.

These funds, according to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, are “the property of, or in any case a reward for, a terrorist organization.” Therefore, “they must be seized”. As explained by the Italian news site “Il Sussidiario”, over the years, and on several occasions, the Italian intelligence services received reports of strange movements of Mohammad Hannoun’s associations, in particular of money.

In March of 2024, Hannoun tried to bypass the closure of his accounts first by asking donors to bring cash money directly to his offices, and then through the help of Modestino Preziosi, a former marathon runner with connections to the private security sector in France and to a Baidoa-based university which hired Italian security personnel. The American news site “The Washington Outsider” tried to contact the South West State University, but did not receive any reply. Somalis in Baidoa who were asked about this activity, were unable to provide any information.

Hannoun’s pro-Hamas propaganda on Italian soil

On October 10th, 2023, just three days after the massacre, while being interviewed by the Italian national TV station Rai3, said “Hamas’ attack is self-defense”.

A few days later, on October 13th, Hannoun exploited his role as imam at the Islamic Center of Genoa to attack those countries supporting Israel, including the Italian government:

“We have seen the attitude of our Italian, European, American governments and some Arab countries who have sided in favor of Israel, who begin to cry for the victims, who even told the lie to encourage, to compare Hamas as equal to ISIS ”… All this, to attack the “Palestinian resistance”.

The video was posted on both the Islamic Center of Genoa’s Facebook page and Hannoun’s account, but it later disappeared.

On January 2nd, 2024, Hannoun posted the motto of the Muslim Brotherhood (God is our goal, The Messenger is our role model, The Qur’an is our constitution, Jihad is our path, Death for the sake of God is our highest aspiration) followed by the words: “It is not a slogan to raise or words to consume, but rather convictions. For its sake we live and for its sake we meet God”, and by the verses 23 and 24 of the Surah 33 (The Coalition).

On January 4th, 2024, Hannoun used his personal Facebook account to glorify Yahya Ayyash, Hamas’ notorious bombmaker, sadly known for both developing Hamas’s use of suicide bombings and building many of the explosives used in attacks:

“On this day, the cowardly assassination took place; Mercy to the martyrs; The legendary engineer martyr, who was a turning point in the history of the Palestinian resistance; Yahya Ayyash Abu Al-Baraa. Palestine today is in dire need of your patriotic spirit and vengeance for the spirit of the martyr Sheikh Saleh Abu Muhammad. Martyrs do not die.”

The second-last line of Hannoun’s post is dedicated to Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas leader in Lebanon who died in a drone strike on January 2nd, 2024. The post was written exclusively in Arabic.

The consequences of the US sanctions

The sanctions implemented by the US Department of Treasury against Hannoun and other Hamas key actors in Europe and based on specific evidence, require quick measures on behalf of the European and Italian authorities to contrast the activities in favor of the terrorist organization. Inaction cannot be an option.

On the evening of October 8th, 2024, prosecutor Nicola Piacente stated that the Genoa Public Prosecutor’s Office could open a new investigation into Mohammad Hannoun if useful documentation for further investigation were to arrive from the United States.

This is indeed great news, but a question logically arises: why do the Italian authorities require investigation material from the United States, since Hannoun is active on Italian soil (with frequent trips to Turkey and Lebanon)?

No misunderstanding, the involvement of the US Department of Treasury is of vital importance to eradicate such activities. However, where has Italy been so far standing on the issue? The matter was already well illustrated on The Times of Israel by Giuseppe Levi Pezzulli, a solicitor specialized in international financial law and a foreign policy scholar, who explained:

“For over a decade, Hannoun has been identified as a key figure in Hamas’s financial apparatus. His ability to continue operating in Italy without significant legal or regulatory pushback points to systemic failures. Italian authorities have long known of his connections to Hamas – dating back to at least 2013 – but have failed to act decisively”.

Levi Pezzulli also added:

“In the wake of these sanctions, Italy faces a critical decision: continue with its current lax approach, or take concrete steps to dismantle the financial networks supporting Hamas… Failure to do so will only exacerbate the perception that Italy is a soft target for those seeking to exploit its financial systems for extremist ends”.

It is also important to recall that in October 2024, the European Leadership Network (Elnet) published a report on Hamas in Europe, dedicating the Italian part to Hannoun and associates (including Suleiman Hijazi, Raed Dawoud and Raed al Salahat), and exposing the links between Hannoun and individuals active in other European countries and indicated as linked to Hamas; among these, some of those who were sanctioned by the United States.

How is it possible that, despite all this, Hannoun is still free to operate on Italian soil, lead demonstrations and praise the perpetrators of a pogrom in the heart of Europe?