<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> WorldTribune.com: Mobile — Israeli military wins approval to shut down Hamas charities in West Bank

Israeli military wins approval to shut down Hamas charities in West Bank

Wednesday, July 9, 2008 Free Headline Alerts

TEL AVIV — Israel's military will expand its crackdown on Hamas charities in the West Bank that are, it says, funding military operations.

Officials said the military has won approval from Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to shut down Hamas organizations. They said the military has determined that Hamas was using charities to bolster its operational capabilities.

"These organizations have been linked and could form an alternative to the Palestinian Authority," an official said.

[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."

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