What we know about Al-Ihsan labeled by Arab Quartet as a terrorist organization?

CAIRO – 25 July 2017: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain announced in a joint statement late Monday that they have included Al-Ihsan Charitable Society among the nine organizations newly added to their terrorism watch list.

The Arab quartet added three Yemeni and six Libyan associations to their terrorist list, stressing that "these new measures come within the framework of monitoring the counter terrorism approach that the four Arab nations determined."

Al-Ihsan is a charitable organization led by the AQAP supporter Abdullah Mohammed al-Yazidi. AQAP or Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, also known as Ansar al-Sharia in Yemen, is a militant Islamist organization, primarily active in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Al-Ihsan has implemented projects in Yemen in June 2017, under the sponsorship of Qatar’s Eid Charity and Qatar Charity, which were designated terrorist previously by the Arab quartet.

In July 2017, Al-Ihsan Charitable Society identified Qatar-based RAF Foundation, Eid Charity and Qatar Charity as their “partners in development” on its official website.

Qatar Charity initiatives in Yemen are overseen by Nasr Qaed al-Zaeem, who has served as the Director of Qatar Charity operations in Yemen since mid-2015.

The Arab quartet’s statement added that the continuous and ongoing “violations” of the Authorities in Doha of Qatar’s commitments and obligations enshrined in agreements to which it is a signatory, have necessitated The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Bahrain to act to update their respective lists of designated terrorist organizations and individuals.

Qatar’s relations with several Arab states have been strained since May 24 over a leaked statement attributed to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, criticizing Gulf foreign policy with Iran, describing it as “unwise”.

Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad’s recent remarks in which he attacked Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) prompted the major Arab powers to adopt urgent and strict measures towards Doha.

The Qatari crisis was escalated when Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE, along with Yemen and Libya announced a coordinated diplomatic break with Qatar, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. They also closed their airspace and seaports for Qatari transportation.