France employs terrorist to run eastern Jerusalem youth project

French government bodies contributed 400,000 euros to the youth project run by a convicted terrorist. 

By World Israel News Staff

France is funding a youth program in eastern Jerusalem that is being run by a convicted terrorist, NGO Monitor reveals.

The project, initiated by the “Decentralized Cooperation Network for Palestine,” a French association, is funded by various local French government bodies to the amount of 400,000 euros.

The launch of the youth program will take place at the Jerusalem French Institute Chateaubriand on July 10 “in the presence of OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), the Jerusalem Governorate, all the [French] regional and local authorities taking part in the project, and the Al Bustan center,” according to the project initiator’s website.

The contact person for the project is Daoud Ghoul, who is described as the founder of the Al Bustan cultural center.

He was convicted of membership in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in 2015. The organization is listed as a terrorist group by the E.U., U.S., Canada and Israel.

According to a Jerusalem District Court verdict translated by NGO Monitor, “At a date prior to 2006, the appellant [Daoud Ghoul] joined the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine organization…

“The appellant organized – among other things – trips, extra-curricular activities and summer camps for youth – some of which were named for terrorists that were active in the organization – and organized visits to the families of fallen and incarcerated members of the organization.”

“Ghoul acted in order to bring the Palestinian public closer to the [PFLP] organization.”

The verdict further says that “the appellant has two criminal convictions in his past for membership in a terrorist organization in 2005 and 2006, and for ideologically motivated violent crimes, for which he was sentenced to significant jail sentences…  Nevertheless, this was not sufficient to deter him and he returned to commit offences in the years following his release.”