Islamic Relief Worldwide, a group linked to Hamas, has hired a DC based lobbying firm. PHOTO: Wikipedia.

Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), a UK-based charity linked to Hamas, has hired Washington, DC-based lobbying and consulting firm the Raben Group, owned by Robert Rabin, the former Assistant Attorney General under President Clinton, an industry publication revealed last week.

Israel has banned IRW from operating in the country, alleging that despite marketing itself as a humanitarian agency soliciting donations from around the world, IRW funnels money to Hamas, charges which IRW has categorically denied. According to Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, IRW, “is another source of funds for Hamas, and we have no intention of allowing it to operate and assist terrorist activity against Israel.”

In a report on the group, the Gatestone Institute noted the “large number of links between Islamic Relief Worldwide, and extremist pro-terror groups,” suggesting that “under the cover of a charity with excellent public relations officers lies a structured pro-terror group with an anti-Western agenda.”

Israel is not alone in suspecting IRW of having terrorist links. Despite its innocuous-sounding name and seemingly humanitarian mission, it is also believed to be a terrorist organization by the governments of Russia, and the United Arab Emirates.