Interpal - Appendix C

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Appendix C

Transfer of funds by Interpal to the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron

Overview

The Islamic Charitable Society – Hebron, which is Hamas-operated, is a Muslim welfare society whose main activity is providing care for and educating orphans in accordance with the customary Islamic values and norms. It runs orphanages, high schools, religious schools for girls, kindergartens, centers for Qur’an studies, a center for adult education and a women’s training center. The Society owns an eight-story building for newly-married couples and a dairy farm. It has a number of branches in the Hebron area, among them one at Bani Naim and one at Durrah. Because of its close ties to Hamas, as will be shown below, it was outlawed by Israel in 2002.

T he Islamic Charitable Society building in Hebron, which includes an orphanage for girls .

Many of the Society’s directors are leading Hamas activists in the Hebron area. Noteworthy among them are :

‘Adil Nu’man Salim al-Junaydi – was head of the Society until arrested by Israel, one of those deported to Lebanon in December 1992 and a high-ranking Hamas political activist. In the past al-Junaydi was assistant administrative director of Al-Ihsan Charitable Society,¹ another Hamas-affiliated “charitable society” operating in the Hebron district.

1. More information about Al-Ihsan can be found in our bulletin.

‘Abd al-Khaliq al-Natsheh – was head of the Society until arrested by Israel, head of Hamas in the Hebron area, one of those deported to Lebanon in December 1992 (For his disclosures during interrogation about his political, propaganda and financial activities as a Hamas member and about his ties to Hamas’ terrorist-operational wing, see Appendix C (2)).

Dr. ‘Azzam Nu’man ‘Abd al-Rahman Salhub – was formerly on the Society’s board of directors. He is a veteran Muslim Brotherhood member, one of the highest-ranking Hamas members in the Hebron area and deported to Lebanon in December 1992. He is on the board of directors of the Union of Good (outlawed by Israel in 2002), an umbrella organization of “charitable societies” which channel funds into the PA-administered territories and transfer them to Hamas institutions (Interpal is one of the Union of Good’s most important members).

Mustafa Kamil Khalil Shawar – was one of those deported to Lebanon in December 2002, a veteran member of the Muslim Brotherhood and ranking Hamas political activist. In the past he was a member of the directorate of Young Muslim Society, the second-largest Hamas-affiliated organization in the district of Hebron, outlawed by Israel in 2002.

Nabil Nu’aym Eshaq Natsheh – one of those deported to Lebanon in 1992. He was a founder of Beit al-Mal, a Hamas financial institution, outlawed by Israel in 1998 and designated by Executive Order 13224 in December 2001.

‘Issa Khayri al-Ja’bari – a businessman who in the past was on the board of directors of the Young Muslim Society (See above).

During Operation Defensive Shield (April 2002) a document was found in the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron building which had apparently been sent by the Hamas leadership in Syria or the Gaza Strip. It discussed the importance of the civilian infrastructure (da’wah) in Hamas’ politics and terrorist-operational activities (See Appendix C (3)). The very fact of finding such a document -- which outlined organizational changes in Hamas in the West Bank – in the Society’s building proves its ties with Hamas.²

2. In other Hamas-affiliated “charitable societies,” such as the Jenin Charitable Society, Hamas policy documents were also found (i.e., Hamas’ position regarding Israel’s detachment plan).

The Palestinian Authority also identified the Society as unquestionably being linked to Hamas : in 2001 it sent strongly-worded letters to Syria’s Minister of the Interior, Emir ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Na’ef, demanding he stop the transfer of funds from the Saudi Arabian Committee for Support of the Al-Aqsa Intifada to the Society because of its affiliation with Hamas.

The Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron is responsible for handling contributions from Islamic charitable societies all over the world, including those outlawed by Israel because of their ties with Hamas, such as the British Interpal, the Saudi International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) and the American Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLFRD).

During the past year (2004) the Society’s activities decreased as a result of the arrest of its heads and because the Saudi Arabian Committee for Support of the Al-Aqsa Intifada apparently stopped sending it money. However, previous experience with “charitable societies,” has shown that it is reasonable to expect its activities to continue and that it will seek to raise funds from new sources to rebuild itself.

The following sections illustrate the nature of the Islamic “charitable society” of Hebron and show it to be a Hamas-affiliated institution, and the documents illustrate its ties to Interpal.

Appendix C (1)

Information obtained through the interrogation of ‘Abd al-Khaliq al-Natsheh, head of the Islamic Charitable Society – Hebron, regarding his activity in the ranks of Hamas

‘Abd al-Khaliq al-Natsheh began his Hamas activism in 1991 (with interruptions resulting from his arrests).

After his release from prison in 1998 he was contacted by Khaled Mashaal, head of the Hamas Political Bureau in Damascus, who was then living in Jordan. Mashaal offered al-Natsheh the post of Hamas spokesman in Hebron, in effect the most senior political activist in the city, which he accepted.

As part of his job he did the following:

He participated in Hamas events, joined demonstrations and delivered speeches about the activities of the organization and its ideology,

He publicized condolence messages and descriptions of the actions of terrorist operatives who were killed while attacking civilians or in skirmishes with the Israeli army.

He publicized pictures and articles in the media and appeared on local TV stations as Hamas representative.

He provided humanitarian aid and money to the families of Hamas prisoners.

Under interrogation, al-Natsheh revealed that when Hamas needed to decide important matters of principle such as the policy of terrorist attacks against Jews or participating in PA elections, it was customary to discuss the issue and poll the participants by telephone. Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, consulted al-Natsheh about Hamas’ participation in PA elections and perpetrating terrorist attacks within the 1948 [original UN-decreed] borders [i.e., al-Natsheh participated in determining Hamas’ policy of terrorist activities within the State of Israel]. Al-Natsheh discussed those issues with other high-ranking Hamas terrorists, among them the late sheikhs Ahmad Yassin (founder and head of Hamas, died in a targeted killing on March 22, 2004), Jamal Damouni and Ismail Abu Shanab, and sheikhs Hassan Yussuf and Ismail Hania.

Al-Natsheh admitted that he referred various Hamas members to the movement’s terrorist-operational wing , as follows:

In January 2002, Murad Shahin, a Hamas terrorist-operative approached al-Natsheh while he was staying at the offices of the Islamic Charitable Society – Hebron, which al-Natsheh ran. He told al-Natsheh that he was interested in carrying out a terrorist act. Initially al-Natsheh refused him, but later on, the day after the Durra attack ( April 28, 2002), Shahin presented himself at al-Natsheh’s office at the “charitable society” and asked for help in sending a sealed letter to Ziyad al-Qawasmeh, a Hamas activist in Hebron, saying that the letter was for Ziyad’s imprisoned brother. Al-Natsheh agreed to help him.

Al-Natsheh met a representative of Palestinian Preventive Security named Maysarah Abu Hamdiya Abu Snina at Hebron’s cultural club. Abu Snina said he was very knowledgeable about military security and that he was willing to help Hamas in any way possible. Al-Natsheh explained that he was a political activist and could not help him, and Abu Snina asked to be referred to people who could. Al-Natsheh therefore spoke with Akram al-Atrash, a Hamas terrorist-operative, referring Abu Snina to him.

How al-Natsheh used Hamas funds

From the time he accepted Khaled Mashaal’s offer to serve as Hamas spokesman he received regular payments from the terrorist organization.

He transferred the money to Jamal al-Tawil³ to be distributed to the families of Hamas prisoners (For example, he admitted having transferred $20,000 to al-Tawil’s bank account during the year preceding his arrest.). He was also directly responsible for transferring the money (to such prisoners in the form of pay-off money, canteen expenses, clothing, etc.)

3. H igh-ranking Hamas member who founded Al-Islah Charitable Society in Ramallah, see above, Appendix B (5).

Appendix C (2)

A document written by Hamas members operating abroad and found in the offices of the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron shows the close connection between Hamas’ civilian infrastructure and its terrorist-operational wing

Overview

The document, apparently written by Hamas members operating abroad, was found in the offices of the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron by Israeli forces during Operation Defensive Shield (April 2002). It sheds light on the close connectionbetween Hamas’ grass-roots civilian infrastructure in the PA-administered territories and its terrorist-operational wing. The two-page, closely written document (three copies of which were found in al-Natsheh’s office) is apparently composed of a number of documents which were combined and sent as a letter to the PA-administered territories from abroad on January 18, 2001. It would seem to be the tenth letter in an on-going correspondence between the various levels of Hamas activists operating inside and outside the PA-administered territories.

The document presents the organizational and functional structure of the Hamas as formulated in 2001. Specifically, it sets out the missions to be accomplished by the civilian infrastructure (da’wah) as a tool in the hands of the terrorist-operational wing for activities against both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The document shows that the money collected by Islamic charitable societies is transferred, knowingly and intentionally, not only for humanitarian purposes but to fund terrorist activities against Israel.

A number of comments about the document:

This document provides a clear statement of the importance of the grassroots civilian infrastructure for the existence of the “popular [active] resistance.” The basic assumption is that “the intifada [ongoing violent Palestinian-Israeli confrontation] needs both wings, the popular one which supports it and the military which promotes the intifada and the spirit of [active] resistance [sic]…” However, in actual fact, the two wings are interlinked and the purpose of both of them is to promote the Palestinian insurgence and contribute to it.

As part of the organizational structure of the “popular [active] resistance apparatus” for “conducting the intifada and directing its leadership” there was a plan to establish an “organizational network which would cover all the fields of necessary activity when needed, such as commerce, schools, mosques, neighborhood affairs, societies and universities, etc.,” through “sub-committees” ( which are active at the lower levels of the organizational structure) “in each of the popular sectors.”

The grassroots civilian infrastructure, the da’wah, serves as a supporting home front for the Hamasterrorist-operational activity. The civilian institutions which are considered part of its activity provide deliberate, direct support for terrorist-operational activities which are far removed from the civilian (or humanitarian) sphere: recruiting activists, the underground information network and fund-raising for all purposes. The da’wah and the “resistance” committees in the popular sectors are fully symbiotic and are nothing more than one entity which has a number of functions:

Enlisting financial and other contributions to enlarge the scope of the ongoing insurgence : the instructions from “outside” were “to explain the issue to the commercial sector and to strengthen relations with it so that those involved will be available and will work for the good of every popular activity or strike, or will contribute to the funding of [various] activities.”

Enlisting popular support and the willingness to take part in demonstrations (when called upon and when necessary): the instructions called for “showing interest in the mosques and [Muslim] clerics because of their great influence on enlisting people and motivating them to achieve the desired ends.”

On-going enlisting of operatives from within the da’wah provides for the military elements , targeting high school and university students and workers who could serve as liaisons because of the relative freedom of movement they enjoy.

The civilian system is completely coordinated both “outside” and “inside” [ the PA-administered territories]: the “outside” members (mainly senior members or the leadership) formulate general policy and enlist money, information and other means of support for those (activists and terrorist-operatives) “inside” and lead the information and propaganda effort in various foreign countries (including processions, demonstrations, calling for a boycott on American products and manifesting resistance to normalization). The fundraising is unequivocally intended to encourage active resistance [sic] to Israel and to reinforce awareness of the struggle [sic], and for the support of the families of martyrs [sic] and prisoners. Those funds are transferred through two channels: “charitable societies” and “emergency channels.”

In fact, in a postscript to the letter from “outside” the following appeared: “We [of Hamas “outside”] are making an effort to transfer large sums of money to you [Hamas “inside”] through charitable activity and the emergency budgets we are still working hard to develop…” “We need the new [bank] account numbers to be able to transfer money. We promise to make an effort to transfer funds for the martyrs [shahadaa] and prisoners through transfers to charitable institutions [mu’assassaatal-‘amal al-shayri]. That is the main goal of [our] efforts to transfer financial aid to those institutions…”

Appendix C (2)

Original Document

Appendix C (3)

A Palestinian suicide bomber’s last will and testament: from a Hamas pamphlet found at the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron


A booklet called Al-Tadhkirah (In Memoriam) was found in the offices of Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron containing the last will and testament of a Palestinian suicide bomber named Majdi [Muhammad Mahmoud] Abu Warda. He was a Hamas terrorist killed while perpetrating a suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem on February 25, 1996, detonating himself in “a Zionist bus full of passengers.” The attack was perpetrated on a No. 18 bus in Jerusalem, murdering 24 Israeli civilians and wounding 44. In his will Warda explained why he decided to join Hamas’ Izzedine al-Qassam Battalions, praised the “way of jihad” and stated that “the real reward is the reward of paradise.”⁴ His will included a verse from the Qur’an (Surah 9 [Al-Tauba] Verse 52), which in fact (according to Muslim commentaries of this verse) encourages others to follow in the suicide bomber’s footsteps to win fame and reflects defiance of the enemy [Israel] and confidence in the justice of the way of jihad

4. It should be noted that for those Palestinians perpetrating suicide bombing attacks – or otherwise killed in battle with the Israeli army or security forces – this is one of the main factors (or beliefs) which motivate them to be involved in such violent actions and to be ready to die in them.

Appendix C (4)

The front cover of Defending Muslim Lands, the Most Important Personal Muslim Duty. a book found in the orphan girls’ school of the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron. It was written by Dr. ‘Abdallah ‘Azzam, Osama bin Laden’s “spiritual mentor” and much admired by Hamas.⁵

5. The book was also found in the library of the mosque at Adma, a village in the Nablus region. In Israeli assessment, it was distributed by Hamas in its mosques and educational institutions with other radical Islamic publications. Israeli soldiers in the PA-administered territories found many posters, CDs, documents and books dealing with the work and legacy of Dr. ‘Adballah ‘Azzam. For more details about his importance and seminal contribution to the development of the Islamic “global jihad,” see below.

Dr. ‘Abdallah ‘Azzam, Defending Muslim Lands, the Most Important Personal Muslim Duty (Maktabat Al-Rissalah al-Hadithah, Amman, Jordan, 1987, 2 nd edition [1 st edition, 1984]

Overview

Defending Muslim Lands, the Most Important Muslim Personal Duty was first published by Maktabat Al-Rissalah al-Hadithah in Amman, the capital of Jordan, in 1984. It was written by Dr. ‘Abdallah ‘Azzam, a resident of the north Samarian Palestinian village of Silat al-Harithiya, one of the first Palestinians who joined the fighters in Afghanistan in the early 1980s. He was Osama bin Laden’s “spiritual mentor” until he was killed in a mysterious explosion on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in 1989.

As a Palestinian with a key role in bin Laden’s fighting in Afghanistan, ‘Azzam has been greatly admired by members of Hamas and quotations from his radical Islamist political doctrine have often been found in Hamas institutions in the PA-administered territories. In the orphan girls’ school in Hebron Israeli forces found (August 12, 2004) a great deal of propaganda and indoctrination material which included CDs with hundreds of posters commemorating shaheeds (particularly those which had belonged to Hamas), a booklet commemorating a shaheed who had perpetrated a suicide bombing attack against Israel, Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades postcards featuring pictures of shaheeds and a number of downloaded pages from the Internet with postings about the “holy warriors,” mujahadeen, in Chechnya. The presence of such inflammatory material in a school for orphan girls run by the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron is an indication of the type of education Hamas provides for Palestinian youth in its institutions.⁶

6. In 2002 documents were found at Palestinian Preventive Security headquarters in Gaza dealing with Hamas’ penetration of the Palestinian Ministry of Education and the increase of the influence on Palestinian youth of teachers who are in effect Hamas activists. The documents show that Palestinian Preventive Security was well aware that the interests of the PA were being threatened by the militant radical Islam with which the Hamas teachers were indoctrinating the youth.

‘Azzam’s book, which was serialized in Arabic newspapers before its official publication date in 1984 (second edition, 1987) is a very important, seminal work. It is a long religious edict (fatwa) whose main thesis is as follows: All Islamic countries which were at one time or another during their histories under Islamic rule must be returned to Islamic rule solely through jihad, and that is a personal duty for every Muslim to take part in the jihad [an idea thoroughly inculcated into bin Laden’s ideology]. The book had a great impact on Muslim fighters (mujahideen) worldwide, who claimed it was the reason they joined the war in Afghanistan.⁷

7. Based on Assaf Maliah’s doctoral dissertation, entitled “’Abdallah ‘Azzam – the ideological sources of Osama bin Laden’s global Islamic terrorism,” to be submitted to the Department of Middle Eastern History of Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel, under the supervision on Dr. Rami Ginat. We are grateful to the author for his permission to make the information available for inclusion in this bulletin.

Equating Palestine with Afghanista
(From ‘Abdallah ‘Azzam’s book, page 35

Appendix C (5)

Transfer of funds by Interpal to the Islamic Charitable Society – Hebron⁸ via the Arab Bank

8. From documents found by Israeli forces in the Society’s offices on August 7, 2004.

Original Document

The transfer from London of L49,834 by Interpal to the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron on May 6, 1999. The money was transferred through the Arab Bank, whose services are often used by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations.

Appendix C (6)

Transfer of funds by Interpal to the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron via the Arab Bank

Original Document

The transfer from London of $6,938.35 by Interpal to the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron on May 6, 1999. The money was transferred through the Arab Bank, whose services are often used by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations.

Appendix C (7)

Transfer of funds for orphans by Interpal to the Hamas-affiliated Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron and to other Hamas-affiliated “charitable societies” with which it has ties⁹

9. It is reasonable to assume that some of the orphans are the children of Hamas shaheeds, and . that in some of the instances where “allotment for orphans” appears, the funds are transferred to families of shaheeds who were formerly Hamas terrorist-operatives.

Translation

[Handwritten addition:] The Assembly/Riyadh¹⁰

10. In all probability this refers to the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), whose head office is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It collaborates with Interpal.

In the name of Allah the all-merciful

[To:] The honorable brothers/Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron, may Allah preserve and keep them alive them.

Orphans’ Department

May peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and his blessings
We pray that Allah may grant you health. We also pray to him that your good deeds may be counted in your favor [on Judgment Day].

Please find enclosed authorization form number BTR/2002/71 for our transfer to you of L43,420.00, of which L20,000 are intended for [distribution to] the following [charity] committees / and charitable societies:

The Islamic Society/Tufah: L4,180.00, of which L3,100 are for the orphans of Interpal and the rest for the orphans of Riyadh.

The Islamic Society/(this can’t be tapuah. Tufah?): L4,180.00, of which L3,100 are for the orphans of Interpal and the rest for the orphans of Riyadh.

The Charitable Society/Beit Awala: L820.00: allotment for the orphans of Riyadh.

Al-Rahman Society for Girls – Hebron : L635.00 allotment for the orphans of Riyadh.

The Charitable Committee of Halhoul:¹¹ L820.000 allotment for the orphans of Riyadh.

11. It should be noted that this committee sent a letter praising the work of the Holy Land Foundation (which was later outlawed by both Israel and the United States) on the tenth anniversary of the HLF’s foundation in which the Islamic source of economic jihad was mentioned to justify it. See the first part of this bulletin.

The Islamic Society/Yata: L2,000 allotment for the orphans of Riyadh.

The Charitable Committee of Samoa [a Palestinian village in Jordan]: L382 allotment for the orphans of Riyadh.

The Society for Charity and Contributions of Hebron: L185.00 allotment for the orphans of Riyadh.

allotment for the orphans of Riyadh.

Please forward the [aforementioned] sums to the respective committees and societies and keep the receipts.

Yours sincerely

The Palestinian Fund for Welfare and Development [Interpal]

[Handwritten addition:] New reports and [unclear word, possibly “names”]

Appendix C (7)

Original Document

Appendix C (8)

Interpal transfers of funds to the Bani Naim branch of the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron, affiliated with Hamas

The Islamic Charitable Society in Bani Naim is a branch of the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron. It was founded in 1990 and headed by Nuh Muhammad Mahmoud Mounasara, a veteran Hamas activist and one of those deported to Lebanon in December 1992. The Society has dozens of employees and manages two centers for Qur’an memorization (one for boys, one for girls), an orphanage and an elementary school. The Society was outlawed by Israel in 2002.

The Society is supported by a number of funds and foundations in the West, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, among them designated Hamas-affiliated organizations: Interpal in Britain, Al-Aqsa Fund in Germany and CBSP in France, all of which were outlawed in 1997 and declared terrorist organizations in 1998.

The following two documents deal with the transfer of L8,400 to the Arab Bank account of the Bani Naim Charitable Society by Interpal (March 22, 2003). The money was earmarked for the WAMY-sponsored orphanage, where, as in other Hamas-operated orphanages, the children are indoctrinated with hatred and incitement to terrorism (See below).

Appendix C (8)

Transfer of funds by Interpal to the Bani Naim branch of the Hamas-affiliated Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron

A receipt form for the transfer of L8,400 by Interpal to the Arab Bank account of the Bani Naim Charitable Society. The document was found in Hebron on August 7, 2004.

A receipt for the L8,400 transferred to the Arab Bank account of the Bani Naim Charitable Society by Interpal.

Appendix C (9)

A pamphlet giving information about the achievements of the Bani Naim branch of the Islamic Charitable Society – Hebron (1997)

The front cover, bearing the inscription “Activities and
Aspirations, 1997”

Posters of the Hamas student organization hanging on the façade of the building housing the Bani Naim branch of the Islamic Charitable Society

The photograph appears in the Bani Naim pamphlet. Underneath it is written, “Everyone acts and strives to increase the glory of this religion.” The word for “strives,” yujahid, also means participating in a jihad (holy war). The sentence can also be interpreted to mean that the jihad is undertaken to increase the glory of the Muslim religion, a customary motto in Hamas announcements.

The photograph shows two large posters hanging on the façade of the building housing the Bani Naim branch of the Islamic Charitable Society – Hebron, hung there by the Islamic Block Al-Kutlah Al-Islamiyyah, the Hamas student organization. Both posters bear militant inscriptions:

The poster on the right shows two faces, almost certainly shaheeds, above a tree trunk entitled “Islam.” The left branch ends in a hand holding a Qur’an, and the right, some sort of weapon. The upper left-hand corner of the same poster bears the inscription: “Commitment to the orphans: you will not be defeated.” In the center is the inscription “The Islamic Block.” In the lower left-hand corner is a large mosque, apparently that at the Patriarchs’ Cave in Hebron.

The poster on the right bears the inscription: “ Jerusalem, the land of Israa’ and Mi’raj” (a reference to Muhammad’s night ride and his ascendancy to heaven, as described in Surah 17 of the Qur’an). In the center is the Mosque of the Dome of the Rock, and at the left, the inscription “TheIslamic Block.”

The next-to-last page of the pamphlet contains a list of charitable societies, many of them either designated Hamas-affiliated organizations or Hamas-supporting funds and foundations (See Part 3). The Bani Naim branch of the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron acknowledges the organizations and expresses its gratitude and estimation for the help they provided. Number 3 on the list is the Palestinian Relief and Development Fund,Interpal, London.

Appendix C (10)

An expression of gratitude to Interpal from the Al-Shuyukh branch of the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron for its aid to the summer camp project, 2003.

Overview

Every year Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations organize summer camps during the school vacation. The camps are exploited to indoctrinate and brainwash the children and youths with hatred and enmity for Israel and the glorification of anti-Israeli violence and terrorist actions. Sometimes the youth also receive semi-military training at the camps.

The following are an award from the Al-Shuyukh branch of the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron given to Interpal in recognition of its support of the summer camp project in 2003 and photographs found in the Society’s offices on September 20, 2004. The award reads, “May Allah guide you along the honest path, and may you forever be a source of inspiration for Islam and Muslims [with no mention of Palestinians!].” Both boys and girls participated in the camps, and in the photographs they can be seen wearing shirts imprinted with the Interpal emblem.

The Islamic Charitable Society in the village of Al-Shuyukh, which was founded in 1988, is a branch of the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron, affiliated with Hamas. It runs a school, kindergartens and a center for Qur'an memorization where the children are educated in the spirit of Hamas’ version of radical Islam.

The true nature of Hamas summer camps: a picture in an article of the weekly Al-Rissalah expresses Hamas’ position and that of the Islamic trend in the PA-administered territories ( July 15, 2001).

An award given to Interpal by the Al-Shuyukh branch of the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron in recognition of its support of the summer camp project for Palestinian children.

Original Document

Appendix C (11)

Educating orphans: an example of education for violence and terrorism in the orphanages of “charitable societies” operated by Hamas: framing pictures of shaheeds, most of them Hamas terrorist operatives, in the orphans’ school in Durrah, run by one of the branches of the Islamic Charitable Society – Hebron

Overview

Much of the money contributed by Interpal and other funds and foundations in Europe is intended for the support of orphans and Hamas educational institutions. Those institutions educate the orphans in the spirit of Hamas’ version of radical Islam¹² integrated with hatred of Israel and incitement to acts of terrorism. At the school for orphans operated by the Durrah branch of the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron the nature of the education the orphans receive at the hands of Hamas was exposed.

12. See Appendix C (5).

The office of ‘Ali Muhammad Ahmad al-Harub, principal of the orphans’ school run by the Durrah branch of the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron was searched on April 20, 2004. The search yielded propaganda and incitement materials, mostly of Hamas origin: posters of shaheeds, calendars with pictures of shaheeds, pictures of weapon-toting suicide bombers and Izzedine al-Qassam announcements. Documents were also found, among them lists of names, some of them of those injured in

the ongoing violent Palestinian-Israeli confrontation who were sponsored by the society, and a report of visits to individuals held in custody in Ashkelon (October 2003).

The search also revealed framed pictures of shaheeds in the principal’s office, the handiwork of students in the orphans’ school, intended to glorify the shaheeds and turn them into role models for the students (See below). The shaheeds were well-known terrorist-operatives from the Hebron-Durrah region, most of them having belonged to Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

‘Ali Muhammad Ahmad al-Harub , in whose office the materials were found, is affiliated with Hamas. He is the principal of Al-Siddiq (the traditional Muslim nickname of the first Caliph Abu Bakr) elementary school and of a kindergarten for orphans owned by the Society. The school has an enrollment of 300 and is has a good reputation, and as a result children who are not orphans are also sent there. Orphans (some of them children of shaheeds who were killed during the ongoing violent Palestinian-Israeli confrontation) are not required to pay tuition. The school’s “educational” activity, as reflected in the material found in the principal’s office, includes indoctrination with the principles of violence and terrorism, as is customary in Hamas institutions.

The following decorated pictures of various Palestinian shaheeds, A to F, are examples of handicrafts made by pupils at the Islamic Charitable Society - Hebron orphanage in Durrah found in ‘Ali Muhammad Ahmad al-Harub’s office.

Picture A

A framed poster in honor of “The Hawk of the Battalions, ”(i.e., the Izzedine al-Qassam Battalions, Hamas’s terrorist wing), terrorist-operative “shaheed” Mousa Muhammad Salem Dudin (Abu Muhammad). He was sentenced to life imprisonment for having shot and killed an Israeli soldier. At the left, a map of “greater Palestine” in the colors of the Palestinian flag bearing the inscription “There is no [God] but Allah.”¹³ (Was he a shaheed, i.e., imprisoned and dead or just imprisoned?)

13. An identical map was exhibited in the house of Ahmad Yassin, Hamas’ founder and leader until his death in March 2004.

Picture B

A framed poster commemorating and glorifying, as is usually the case with such posters, “the fighting commander,” Ahmad Fawzi ‘Abd al-Latif Abu Dush, a terrorist-operative of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad from Durrah, who was killed while evading arrest (2003). He was wanted, among other things, for having planned the terrorist attack at ‘Atniel on December 27, 2002, when two terrorists entered the yeshiva [Jewish religious seminary] at ‘Atniel (approximately 10 kilometers [six miles] south of Hebron) and opened fire on the students, killing four and wounding 10. The poster contains PIJ emblems and is headed by a verse from the Qur’an (Surah 33 [Al-Ahzab] Verse 23) which appear on other suicide bomber posters to legitimize the suicide bombers and glorify their actions.

Picture C

A framed poster decorated with flower-shaped glass buttons. A great deal of effort obviously went into the production of the frame. The poster also commemorates Ahmad Fawzi ‘Abd al-Latif Abu Dush, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) shaheed from Durrah, who planned the murder of the yeshiva students at ‘Atniel (south of Hebron), as noted. In his right hand Abu Dush is shown holding a pistol and in his left an assault rifle with a sniper scope. Hung around his neck is a sash with the emblem of the Islamic Jama’ah (the PIJ’s student organization) bearing the inscription: “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.” His headband bears the same inscription.

Picture D

A framed poster bordered in the colors of the Palestinian flag commemorating the “commander of the fighters,” Ahmad Fawzi ‘Abd al-Latif Abu Dush, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) shaheed from Durrah, who planned the murder of the yeshiva students at ‘Atniel (south of Hebron), as noted. Below: a description of his terrorist-operative activities, including the attack on ‘Atniel and a shooting attack on the government office in Hebron. He is decorated with a sash and headband bearing the inscription of the Muslim testimony (shahadah): “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.” The poster contains PIJ emblems and is headed by a verse from the Qur’an (Surah 33 [Al-Ahzab] Verse 23) which appear on other suicide bomber posters to legitimize the suicide bombers and glorify their actions.

Picture E

A framed poster commemorating the “heroic shaheed” ‘Abd al-Rahim ‘Abd al-Talahmeh, of the Jerusalem Battalions, the PIJ’s terrorist-operational wing. Besides holding an assault rifle (M-16), his picture (on the right hand side) shows the Jerusalem Battalions emblem, which bears a verse from the Qur’an interpreted as encouraging the systematic killing of Jews.

Picture F

A framed poster again commemorating the “heroic shaheed” ‘Abd al-Rahim ‘Abd al-Talahmeh, of the Jerusalem Battalions (the PIJ’s terrorist-operational wing). According to the inscription, the Zionist Minister of Defense, [Shaul] Mofaz, nicknamed him “Rambo from Hebron.” The handwritten inscription, part of which appeared in the previous picture, reads: “We [follow] in your footsteps, ‘Abd al-Rahim, Rambo from Hebron.” The poster is headed by a verse from the Qur’an which appears on other suicide bomber posters to legitimize the suicide bombers and glorify their actions. The inscription at the bottom of the poster reads: Fame and eternity for our brave shaheeds. The handwritten inscription at the right reads: “Allahu akbar, praise be to god,” which occasionally appears in similar posters.

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Appendix D