Birawi has well-established links to Hamas, and even admitted to the official Hamas newspaper in the past that the so-called Freedom Flotilla is an information war operation against Israel and its legitimate blockade of Gaza — with no humanitarian goals. While some aboard the Madleen may be naive, ill-informed pawns, this was a clear pro-Hamas political stunt disguised as humanitarian activism.
It's no surprise that false allegations against Zaher Birawi have reemerged just as the Israeli Occupation Forces breached international law to stop the Madleen from reaching Gaza and delivering much-needed humanitarian aid. After all, Israeli smear campaigns against anyone related to the aid ship are in full throttle, with direct attacks on well-known activist Greta Thunberg.