The Islamic Movement in Israel (IMI) Sunday morning rejected accusations made by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), according to which it had transferred money to Hamas’ headquarters in eastern Jerusalem.
"It’s a total lie," the movement’s political bureau chief Zahi Nujeidat told The Media Line.
Police and Shin Bet forces last night raided the offices of the Al-Aq’sa Institution, IMI’s largest association in Umm Al-Fahm, an Israeli-Arab city.
The offices were closed and their contents confiscated following an order issued by Minister of Defense Ehud Barak, which stated that the Al-Aq’sa Institution was an illegal association.
"The institution is conducting a joint activity with Hamas’ headquarters in Jerusalem. The activity is partly funded by the Union of Welfare, an international umbrella organization of radical Islamic funds," the Israeli police announced Sunday morning.
The Union of Welfare is headed by Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qara’dawi, the most prominent cleric in the Sunni world. In the past few years Al-Qara’dawi has publicly supported the use of suicide attacks as a method of fighting the Israeli occupation.
Al-Qara’dawi grouped over 50 Islamist charities around the world under the umbrella of the Union of Welfare. The groups were used to channel money to Palestinian charities, which then laundered the funds and transferred some of them to Palestinian terror organizations.
"This proves the Israeli establishment’s bankruptcy," an IMI statement said.
The statement further claimed that "not one righteous person was left in the Israeli establishment." It said that Israel failed to give adequate answers to information presented by the Al-Aq’sa Institution, according to which the Al-Aq’sa Mosque was under severe threat.
The police are now examining material it confiscated from the institution’s offices, which it suspects contains incitement against Israel. Following the examination, the police will decide on whether or not to launch a formal investigation.