According to a report released yesterday by the Office of the IDF Spokesperson, documents seized during military operations in Gaza reveal that Yasser Arafat and members of his Palestinian Authority hierarchy are, at least, aware of monies collected for Hamas under the guise of charitable donations.
The IDF reports that the Charity Coalition (Aathlaf al-Hir) - an umbrella organization of Islamic charities that solicits contributions from Arab countries and the West - transfers funds to associations identified with the Hamas terrorist organization in Judea and Samaria. The documents seized by the IDF reveal that PLO leader Yasser Arafat was kept apprised of meetings held in Yemen between senior PA coalition members and Hamas terrorists, and of contributions collected from Judea, Samaria, and from among Israeli Arabs. The head of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service in Gaza, Rashid abu Shoubak, sent a memorandum of the meeting to Arafat wherein he stressed that the Charity Coalition financially supports the Hamas terrorist infrastructure.
The IDF press release noted that among the more prominent units of the Charity Coalition are three funds belonging to Hamas in Europe: The "al-Aqsa Fund" (operating in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands); the "Palestinian Relief and Development Fund - Interpal" (with offices in Great Britain); and the "Committee for Assistance and Solidarity with Palestine" (in France). All three of these Hamas funds were outlawed by Israel in May 1997 due to their association with Hamas.
The IDF reports that the Charity Coalition (Aathlaf al-Hir) - an umbrella organization of Islamic charities that solicits contributions from Arab countries and the West - transfers funds to associations identified with the Hamas terrorist organization in Judea and Samaria. The documents seized by the IDF reveal that PLO leader Yasser Arafat was kept apprised of meetings held in Yemen between senior PA coalition members and Hamas terrorists, and of contributions collected from Judea, Samaria, and from among Israeli Arabs. The head of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service in Gaza, Rashid abu Shoubak, sent a memorandum of the meeting to Arafat wherein he stressed that the Charity Coalition financially supports the Hamas terrorist infrastructure.
The IDF press release noted that among the more prominent units of the Charity Coalition are three funds belonging to Hamas in Europe: The "al-Aqsa Fund" (operating in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands); the "Palestinian Relief and Development Fund - Interpal" (with offices in Great Britain); and the "Committee for Assistance and Solidarity with Palestine" (in France). All three of these Hamas funds were outlawed by Israel in May 1997 due to their association with Hamas.