US-Designated Hamas Official Leads Organization Behind EU Petition to Suspend Israel Ties
EUPAC led by Majed Al-Zeer, a U.S.-designated senior Hamas operative, released an analytical study supporting a petition demanding suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement
The European Palestinian Council for Political Relations (EUPAC), which lists U.S.-designated Majed al-Zeer as its chairman, has released an analytical study supporting a European Citizens’ Initiative calling for suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. EUPAC’s public intervention in support of the initiative is likely to draw scrutiny given that the organization continues to be chaired by al-Zeer after his U.S. designation.
Treasury Designation and Subsequent Reporting
On October 7, 2024, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Majed al-Zeer as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, specifically citing his role as a senior Hamas representative operating across Europe. In May 2025, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that German authorities had issued a European arrest warrant for al-Zeer.
Despite the U.S. Treasury designation and subsequent reporting about a German arrest warrant, al-Zeer continues to be listed by EUPAC as its chairman.
EUPAC’s Strategic Role in the Initiative
According to EUPAC, the initiative had reached 1,141,772 signatures as of April 20, 2026, surpassing the one million-signature benchmark required for an initiative to proceed toward formal consideration by the European Commission, subject to verification. EUPAC said the initiative had met the required thresholds in 11 EU member states, above the minimum seven-country requirement.
According to EUPAC’s official statement, the report “analyzes the positions of political groups within the European Parliament and maps the geographical distribution of support for the initiative across member states.” The organization simultaneously issued recommendations urging “strengthening grassroots and digital advocacy efforts, expanding partnerships with progressive European forces,” and “leveraging growing public momentum” to pressure EU institutions.
European Law Enforcement Context
The episode comes amid broader European scrutiny of alleged Hamas networks and support structures on the continent. European law enforcement agencies have repeatedly disrupted Hamas-affiliated support networks across Germany, Italy, and other EU states over the past two years. Yet despite these enforcement actions and the Treasury designation, designated operatives continue to operate through civil society organizations that engage in mainstream European advocacy.
Why am I not surprised but I was beginning to wonder why European countries are yet again drifting away from Israel’s right to defend itself by the passive aggressive actions of not allowing Israel to buy the parts needed to maintain their defence mechanisms in place. And Italy suspending the automatic renewal of its defense cooperation agreement with Israel was attributed to the "current situation" in the Middle East, marks a significant shift in bilateral ties and follows recent security incidents involving Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. However, Italy had already halted substantive military cooperation shortly after October 2023 due to domestic laws regarding wars affecting civilian populations, this formal suspension prevents the agreement's next automatic renewal. It feels as though any excuse has become acceptable despite the reality of how Italy is reacting domestically to their own internal problems that have been triggered by the infiltration of a specific belief system into their own territory.