[On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak was reported to have
signed an order that banned 36 funds deemed as part of the Hamas network.
The funds included Britain's Interpal and the U.S.-based Holy Land
Foundation as well as the World Assembly of Muslim Youth, all of which were
said to raise funds for Hamas in the West Bank.]
On Monday, the military raided four Hamas charities in the northern West
Bank city of Nablus. Officials said Israeli troops, accompanied by
bulldozers, confiscated computers, files, cash and then sealed the premises
for the next three years.
One of the Hamas organizations was identified as Solidarity, which
operates a clinic in Nablus. The charity has been overseen by Nablus Mayor
Adli Yaish, a Hamas member. The military said Solidarity was part of the
Hamas infrastructure in Nablus.
In 2008, the military raided Hamas organizations in other West Bank
cities, including Hebron, Kalkilya and Ramallah. The raids led to the
shutdown of a Hamas-aligned school in Hebron as well as offices and
warehouses.
Officials said the Hamas network in the West Bank has been financed by
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia as well as Muslim donors in the West. They said Hamas
has used its charities to win influence inside and outside of the PA.
"The PA is doing very little to stop the Hamas takeover," an official
said. "The PA security forces do not want to face an angry Palestinian
public that benefits from Hamas services."
