05-07-2025
British law firm representing Hamas changes name to Riverway to the Sea
A law firm that tried to remove Hamas from the UK's list of proscribed terrorist groups has closed down in its current form after being investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Riverway Law will now reopen as the legal arm of a new organisation called 'Riverway to the Sea', which describes itself as 'dedicated to understanding and confronting the racist ideology of Zionism'.
The firm's title is a reference to the pro-Palestinian slogan 'from the River to the Sea, Palestine shall be free'.
The slogan has been interpreted in a variety of ways. Critics claim it rejects Israel's right to exist by asserting a Palestinian territorial claim to all land between the Jordan and the Mediterranean. Others characterise it as a call for the international recognition of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The new firm states that its purpose is to use the British legal system to challenge Israel, whose name they render in quote marks, and Zionism 'through strategic litigation, legal education, and international co-ordination'.
It cites asylum claims, employment tribunals and defamation suits as opportunities to further these goals.
Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, who first called for an SRA investigation into Riverway Law, told The Telegraph: 'This isn't a law firm committed to upholding the rule of law – they are naked activists who seek to weaponise it. The SRA need to expedite their investigation so these disgusting individuals can be brought to heel.'
Riverway Law made headlines in April when it launched an appeal to have Hamas taken off Britain's list of proscribed groups.
In a submission to Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, it argued Hamas posed 'no threat to the UK people' and should be allowed to operate here on free speech grounds.
Days later, Mr Jenrick reported the firm to the SRA, arguing the appeal potentially breached UK sanctions rules on terror groups. He also drew attention to apparent social media posts about the war in Gaza by Fahad Ansari, the leading lawyer in the case and the director of Riverway.
'A legitimate resistance movement'
The posts included claims that Hamas is a 'legitimate resistance movement' protecting Palestinians from 'UK-sponsored Israeli genocide'.
Mr Ansari has defended his firm's actions, saying it took advice to ensure it did not breach its duties under the sanctions regime.
The SRA is understood to have opened its investigation into the firm in May and was still at an early phase last month. However, Riverway Law ceased trading on June 29, and therefore no longer functions as a solicitors' practice regulated by the SRA.
In a statement on its website, the firm said: 'In response to escalating repression and growing global momentum for justice in Palestine, we are proud to announce that Riverway Law is undergoing a restructure whereby it will become the legal arm of the newly launched Riverway to the Sea – a movement-embedded legal organisation committed to confronting Zionism through strategic litigation, legal education, and international coordination.
'We have therefore taken the decision to close the practice in its current manifestation and will soon be reopening a new firm that will be better equipped to deal with the challenges of our times.'
Riverway submitted its 106-page application on behalf of Hamas to the Home Office in April, accompanied by a video which was posted to its social media channels.
The appeal, believed to be the first of its kind, was fronted by Mousa Abu Marzouk, Hamas's head of international relations and its legal office.
Mr Ansari told The Telegraph: 'In the face of a live-streamed genocide, we are restructuring to meet the needs of the struggle. Riverway to the Sea will deliver radical legal education to equip the next generation of legal fighters while the forthcoming Riverway Law Centre – breaking with outdated divisions between barristers and solicitors – will form our legal wing to drive bold, coordinated challenges to Zionism.
'Riverway to the Sea has already held discussions on deproscription challenges with lawyers in the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and Australia. We have been invited to speak about deproscription at an international lawyers' convention this summer, and are currently collaborating with other Jewish lawyers to provide training about the anti-Semitism within Zionism.
'While we appreciate that a low-grade politician like Robert Jenrick may want to bolster his fascist credentials by claiming he shut the firm down, there is not and has never been any investigation into Riverway Law.'
