Shocking Revelation: Hamas Leader Resides in a London Council House

 

A Hamas fugitive, Muhammad Qassem Sawalha, who led the terror group’s West Bank operations, resides in a London council property that he recently acquired at a significantly discounted price of £112,000, as reported by The Times.

Sawalha managed to evade Israeli security forces by using a relative’s passport. He sought refuge in Britain during the 1990s and later obtained UK citizenship. Despite this, he continued to work for Hamas, engaging in clandestine discussions about “revitalising” terrorist activities in Israel. Furthermore, he played a role in money laundering to support operations in Gaza and the West Bank, according to an indictment from the US Department of Justice.

Sawalha was part of Hamas’s official delegation that met with Kremlin officials in Moscow. He also served on Hamas’s politburo from 2013 to 2017. It’s worth noting that Israel has designated Sawalha as belonging to Hamas, but he has never been charged with an offence in the UK. If he were to return to Israel, he would be subject to arrest.

Despite his involvement in such activities, Sawalha was granted British citizenship in the early 2000s. Home Office guidance typically denies citizenship to individuals who “incite, justify or glorify” terrorist violence or attempt to provoke others to commit terrorist acts.

Notably, Sawalha was invited to Parliament by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during an event to discuss Gaza, shortly before Corbyn succeeded Ed Miliband in 2015.

Sawalha became a council tenant in a two-storey property with a garden and garage in the London Borough of Barnet in 2003. This borough has the highest Jewish population in the UK, making up roughly a fifth of the nation’s overall population.

In June 2021, Sawalha and his 56-year-old wife Sawsan utilised the Right to Buy scheme to purchase their home for £320,700. Barnet council provided the couple with a £112,300 discount on its market value, just £500 shy of the maximum discount available during that financial year. The couple does not have a mortgage on the property.

Council leader Barry Rawlings expressed his concern, stating he was “horrified to think [Sawalha] could be living in our midst,” and confirmed that he had initiated a review. He added that they would collaborate with other stakeholders, including the police and the government, in examining the full history of this case and taking appropriate action.

The disclosures raise questions about the Home Office and security services allowing Hamas leaders to reside freely in the UK. Robin Simcox, the Home Office’s new independent adviser on countering extremism, recently voiced his concern that Hamas “does not carry the stigma that support for other terrorist groups does.”

Rawlings stated, “All social housing tenants were — and still are — offered accommodation based on need. The process ensures the applicant is legally entitled to the tenancy but does not involve a background check of their political affiliations or membership of different groups.”

He went on to say, “Likewise, all council properties are sold based on Right to Buy legislation, which also does not involve such a background check. Even if it did, we would still have to operate within the law and unless someone is committing a crime, this couldn’t be used to withhold the right to buy.”

A spokesperson from Scotland Yard responded, “In June 2020, the Met received a referral regarding a third-party allegation made against a local authority, alleging a breach of the Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc. Act 2010. The referral was assessed by officers from the National Terrorist Financing Investigation Unit, a specialist team within the Met’s counterterrorism command. It was determined that the evidential threshold was not met, and no further action was taken.”

However, Sawalha’s legal representatives emphasised that several “serious false allegations” were levelled against their client. They further stated, “[He] is a law-abiding British citizen.”