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December 7, 2001/Kislev 22, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 13
U.S. group linked to Hamas
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration's decision this week to link a U.S.-based charitable organization with Hamas fulfills a long-standing request by Jewish community activists.
President Bush announced Dec. 4 that the Treasury Department has frozen the assets of three groups he linked to Hamas, including the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which is based in Richardson, Texas.
Bush said funds contributed to the organization are "used by Hamas to support schools and indoctrinate children to grow up into suicide bombers."
"The facts are clear: The terrorists benefit from the Holy Land Foundation," Bush said.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings in Jerusalem and Haifa over the weekend, which killed at least 25 people.
The Bush administration is accusing the Holy Land Foundation of making direct fund transfers to its offices in Palestinian-controlled territories and to the offices of other charity groups either linked to Hamas or controlled by the terrorist group.
The Holy Land Foundation, though based in Texas, has a local connection.
This past June in Phoenix, Friends of Palestine sponsored an event, the "Holy Land Exhibit," which included displays offering pamphlets soliciting donations to the Holy Land Foundation. Marwan Ahmad, publisher of the Arizona Muslim Voice and Multicultural Yellow Pages and local contact for Friends of Palestine, at that time discounted claims linking Hamas and the Holy Land Foundation.
In response to the administration's decision to freeze the group's assets he said, "I still support the Holy Land Foundation and believe that Muslims in America have the right to supply refugees and orphans."
"I know that the Zionist government in Israel is behind this," he added.
Ahmad said he plans to "fight back and protest" until HLF is up and operating.
The two other organizations whose assets were frozen Dec. 4 were Beit el-Mar Holdings, an investment company allegedly controlled by Hamas members, and Al-Aqsa Islamic Bank, allegedly the financial arm of Hamas, and substantially owned by Beit el-Mar Holdings.
Editor Barry Cohen contributed to this story.
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