Dutch Lawmakers Sound Alarm Over Hezbollah-Linked Speaker at EU-Funded Parliament Event
Dutch MEPs and Israel’s Diaspora minister raised concerns after a EU Parliament-financed event featured a Hezbollah-linked activist alongside European lawmakers and Francesca Albanese
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A May 27 Rome event previously reported by Jewish Onliner is now drawing political scrutiny from Israel and inside the European Parliament after its published speaker list included Dyab Abou Jahjah, the co-founder and general director of the Hind Rajab Foundation and a self-described former Hezbollah member, alongside European lawmakers and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
The event, financed by the European Parliament and organized by the European Left Alliance, prompted a sharp public statement from Israeli Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli, who said the European Parliament was funding a platform for “extremists” and warned that Abou Jahjah’s record posed a threat beyond Israel.
Separately, Dutch MEP Sebastian Kruis said he and the entire PVV delegation had asked European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to intervene, sending a formal letter raising concerns over Parliament financing for an event featuring Abou Jahjah.
The May 29 letter, signed by six PVV lawmakers, said the use of European Parliament funding in connection with the event raised “serious concerns” about institutional integrity, reputational risk, and the Parliament’s stated commitment to combating extremism and terrorism.
A Parliament-Financed Event in Rome
The May 27 Rome event page also listed MEPs Catarina Martins, Rima Hassan and Mimmo Lucano, former European Parliament vice president Luisa Morgantini, and Palestinian activist Fadwa Barghouti.
The event was organized in the framework of the “Justice for Palestine” European Citizens’ Initiative, which calls for the full suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The campaign’s funding page lists two European Left Alliance contributions, €25,000 on January 12, 2026, and €7,281 on February 1, 2026, totaling €32,281. That page, like the event page, carries a European Parliament financing disclaimer.
Abou Jahjah’s Hezbollah Past Drives the Backlash
Abou Jahjah’s inclusion is central to the controversy. The Hind Rajab Foundation describes him as its general director and has said he led its delegation in meetings with European law enforcement officials. NGO Monitor, citing Belgian registration records and past reporting, has identified Abou Jahjah as a founding HRF figure and documented his prior statements about joining Hezbollah and receiving military training. The EU’s current terrorism list includes the “Hizballah Military Wing,” also known as the Hezbollah Military Wing, including the Jihad Council and units reporting to it.
HRF’s Expanding European Footprint
The Rome event was not an isolated point of contact between HRF and European institutions. According to the foundation’s own public statements, HRF has previously engaged with European Parliament forums and Europol-linked law-enforcement discussions.
In February, HRF said it addressed the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Palestine in Brussels, with a delegation led by Abou Jahjah. HRF said several MEPs expressed support during that meeting and that Abou Jahjah urged lawmakers to raise awareness of the foundation’s legal campaign.
HRF has also said Europol invited it to speak at an annual meeting in The Hague on October 22, 2025, where Abou Jahjah led the delegation. The foundation said the meeting involved its methodology, evidence collection, and possible cooperation with national war-crimes units.
That contact already prompted formal parliamentary scrutiny. Parliament records list a Dec. 8, 2025 written question by six MEPs titled ‘Europol cooperation with Hezbollah-linked Hind Rajab Foundation.’ The question asked the Commission about screening protocols and possible cooperation with HRF. The question described HRF as anonymously funded and chaired by Abou Jahjah, and cited his past Hezbollah involvement.