Israel Outlaws Turkish Aid Group Accused Of Sending Money To Hamas

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Israeli media is reporting that its Defense Ministry has outlawed a Turkish aid group accused of funneling money to Hamas. According to the Times of Israel report:

December 14, 2016 An order outlawing a Turkish aid group accused of funneling money to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood was announced by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman Wednesday.

The Istanbul-based International Kanadil Institute for Humanitarian Aid and Development is accused by Israeli authorities of sending money to organizations listed as terror groups by Jerusalem.

‘The Kanadil foundation is identified with Hamas and with the Muslim Brotherhood and in recent years had been used as a main pipeline for funding projects by Hamas in Jerusalem,’ Liberman’s spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesman said the organization’s director and numerous employees are closely associated with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The move comes days after Israel and Turkey re-established full diplomatic ties after a several-year freeze. Israel has criticized Turkey and its ruling AKP party for its continued support of Hamas, though the detente between the countries has moved forward despite Ankara’s backing of the group.

There was no immediate reaction from Kanadil or Turkey to the move.

The ministry had blacklisted Kanadil in October, according to the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority, but the order was only announced Wednesday.

The Defense Ministry did not specify what projects in Jerusalem the group was helping Hamas fund.

On its website, Kanadil lists a number of projects in Jerusalem it is involved with, including social programs, job training, education, loans to small business and farmers and procurement of raw materials for small manufacturers.

The Kanadil website is currently unavailable and no further information is available.

In December 2015, the GMBDW reported that Hamas operative and terrorist planner Saleh al-Arouri was expelled from Turkey. We reported in September 2015  that the US Treasury Department had designated as terrorists al-Arouri, three other Hamas officials, and a Saudi Arabia-based company controlled by one of the group.

The Hamas charter says that it is “one of the wings of the Muslim Brothers in Palestine” and soon after Hamas took over the Gaza strip, Muslim Brotherhood representatives traveled to Gaza from Egypt through the newly-opened border to review Hamas military formations.

For more on Hamas, go here.

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