Tuesday, October 7, 2008
How cash-strapped is Hamas? Hamas is so strapped for cash that...
Documents seized during Israeli army raids on Hamas offices and Islamic charities linked to the terror group over the past year show that Hamas has been taking in so much money from abroad that it is now funding Israeli Arab Islamic groups.
Hamas has for years been partially funded by Israeli Arab groups such as the Islamic Movement, but with the Palestinian terror group so successfully raising funds across the Muslim world following its seizing of the Gaza Strip, the direction of cash flow has begun to shift.
Israeli officials who have analyzed the documents told Ha'aretz that Israeli Arab organizations and even municipalities have been requesting funds from Hamas to build mosques and community centers.
The phenomenon raises concerns that in return for its financial aid, Hamas will require Israeli Arabs to sharply increase terrorist activity against their Jewish countrymen.