Police shut down Islamic Movement institution
Dozens of police, Shin Bet officers raid movement's al-Aqsa offices in Umm al-Fahm in accordance with order issued by defense minister, following information received on ties between institution, Hamas headquarters in Jerusalem. Documents, safe and money confiscated; some of movement's bank accounts frozen
The operation was carried out in accordance with an "unlawful organization" order issued by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, following information that the institution had ties with the Hamas headquarters in Jerusalem.
A spokesman for the Islamic Movement's northern branch said in response that "the Israeli institution is using the stick method instead of talking and convincing."
Dozens of police officers, headed by Northern District Commander Shimon Koren and Amakim District Commander Deputy Inspector General Zohar Dvir, arrived at the al-Aqsa institution offices belonging to the Islamic Movement's northern branch in Umm al-Fahm following an order issued by the defense minister.
After searching the place, the forces confiscated numerous documents, a safe and money.
The news on the police activity in Umm al-Fahm quickly reached many of the city's residents, including movement activists, who gathered in the area.
The material collected in the raid was turned over to the Shin Bet, where it will be sorted and examined. The police will then decide whether to launch an investigation against the movement.
A Shin Bet official said in response that according to information received by the defense establishment, the al-Aqsa institute holds joint activities with the Hamas headquarters in Jerusalem.
"One of the organizations financing this activity is the 'Charity Coalition', which serves as the umbrella organization of extreme Islamic funds worldwide operated by the Hamas movement, and thus the institution was declared an unlawful organization in 2002," the official said.
'Israeli establishment going bankrupt'
According to the suspicions, the "Charity Coalition" funneled large sums of money to the joint activity of Hamas and the al-Aqsa institution in Jerusalem without listing and documenting the funds, through moneychangers, smuggling and bank transactions.
The material collected by the defense establishment also revealed that the al-Aqsa institution serves as the executive wing of Hamas' "hadawa" headquarters in the Jerusalem area.
This activity includes helping Hamas members with financial and logistic aid for the movement's organizational activity in Jerusalem. Sources in the defense establishment stressed that some of the funds transferred from Hamas' associations across the world to the movement in the West Bank and Gaza were used for the execution of terror attacks.
Zahi Nujidat, a spokesman for the Islamic Movement's northern branch, criticized the security forces' claims regarding the joint activity with Hamas.
"What happened tonight was that the Israeli establishment went bankrupt, having no answer to the solid and strong information on the al-Aqsa institution's activities in regards to the damage caused to the holy sites in general and to the al-Aqsa Mosque in particular. It chooses to use the stick method instead of talking and convincing," he said.
Al-Aqsa serves as the movement's supreme institution in terms of activity related to Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque. On Friday, the movement held a charity event for the mosque under the banner "The al-Aqsa is in Danger Festival".
Tens of thousands of people took part in the event, including Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the movement's northern branch, who delivered a harsh speech accusing Israel of desecrating the mosque.
This is not the first time security forces seek to stop the movement's activities. In May 2003, police forces raided the movement's offices in the northern city and arrested many of its members, including Sheikh Salah. In the past, police forces also raided the offices of a newspaper distributed by the movement.
