Express Newspapers today apologised and agree to pay damages of £60,000 to the trustees of a charity which it reported was linked to the Palestinian organisation Hamas.
Six trustees of the UK-based charity, which provides help to Palestinians, sued the Daily Express over an article which appeared on its website in December 2009.
According to Interpal’s solicitors Carter Ruck, the article was about the terrorist attempt to blow up an aeroplane over the US on Christmas Day last year and it “falsely alleged that Interpal supported Hamas, notwithstanding that Hamas is deemed a terrorist organisation under UK anti-terrorism legislation”.
A statement read in the High Court this morning said: “Interpal does not support Hamas and would not enjoy its charitable status in this country if it did support Hamas.
“Interpal is not affiliated to any political (let alone terrorist) organisation, whether officially or unofficially, nor does it support any such organisations.”
The Express apologised to the six trustees of the charity and accepted that the allegations were false. The six have said they will pay the money into Interpal’s charitable funds. Express Newspapers will also have to pay Carter Ruck’s costs.
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