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The Sunday Times: Muhammad Qassem Sawalha, a key figure in Hamas who once “ran the group’s terrorist operations in the West Bank,” resides in a London council property. Sawalha escaped Israel in the 1990s using a relative’s passport and later gained British citizenship. According to a U.S. Department of Justice indictment from 2004, he has been involved in “revitalising” terrorist activities in Israel and laundering money for operations in Gaza and the West Bank. Despite this, Sawalha has not been charged with any crimes in the UK.
He was part of an official Hamas delegation to Moscow as recently as 2019 and served on the politburo of the organization between 2013 and 2017. In 2021, the UK government officially designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, ending previous distinctions between its political and military wings.
Sawalha and his wife bought their London council property in June 2021 using a £112,300 discount under the Right to Buy scheme. This has stirred controversy, especially given the property’s location in a borough with the highest Jewish population in Britain. The council is now reviewing the case, although no action was taken when concerns about Sawalha were previously reported to counterterrorism police.
The case poses questions about the vetting procedures for social housing and the broader issue of how the UK government and security services are dealing with individuals affiliated with terrorist organizations.
The entire article can be read at the link https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hamas-chief-lives-london-council-house-uk-phnpsssx5
