Appendix H

Who finances Hamas? A Palestinian General Intelligence document found in a Palestinian Preventive Security file dealing with Hamas’ sources of funding and Britain’s place in the movement’s fundraising apparatus

Overview
The following document, entitled “Who funds Hamas?” was found in a Palestinian Preventive Security file by Israeli forces during Operation Defensive Shield (April 2002). It is undated but in Israeli assessment was probably written in the late 1990s. Although it is not recent, some Palestinian Preventive Security remarks about Hamas, its funding and civilian infrastructure (da’wah) are still valid (January 2005).
The document estimates Hamas’ income at between $60-$70 million a year. About 40% of the funds come from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, and the rest from Europe ( Britain, France and Germany), the United States, and other sources. A certain percentage is diverted to financing Hamas’ terrorist-operative wing and the rest finances the institutions which give it its power base among the Palestinian population: “charitable societies” and “charity committees” kindergartens, schools, athletic teams, clinics and mosque committees. “It is not a matter of chance,” says the document, “that Hamas activists locate their suicide bombers from among school children or members of the movement’s athletic teams and [various] associations.”

Appendix H

Translation

[Handwritten addition:] Hamas [file], [written by those responsible for] information and security.

[Signature at the left:] Abu Adham.1

1. “AbuAdham” may be the nickname of Yussuf ‘Abd al-Majid ‘Abd al-Qader ‘Attiyyah, chief aid of Tawfiq Tirawi, head of Palestinian General Security on the West Bank. Some of the documents found in the Palestinian Preventive Security Hamas file were written by Palestinian General Security. One of them, dealing with Beit al-Mal (the Hamas investment firm) bears the Palestinian General Security emblem.
1. At the beginning of April [1996?] ‘Imad al-‘Alami was in a car on his way to Damascus: he was an engineer, 39 years old, one of Hamas’ heads abroad. He had contacts with Iran and he was on his way to [Hamas] headquarters in Damascus, where he was supposed to have an important meeting. He had been informed that it was an important meeting with someone from the Iranian embassy who was bringing a sealed envelope for him: a prize for the [terrorist] activities carried out in Israel during February and March [almost certainly 1996, when Hamas perpetrated a wave of deadly suicide bombing attacks intended to sabotage the Oslo process] by the Hamas suicide bombers he dispatched [Note: The writer uses the term intihariyyun, which has negative connotations, instead of ishtishhadiyyun, whose connotations are positive, in terms of the supporters of Islamic terrorism.]. According to Western sources, al-‘Alami received a gift of one million dollars from Iran.
2.

It is known that the allocations from Iran are only a tiny part of Hamas’ global income. Intelligence experts are of the opinion that the extremist Palestinian movements receive about $70 million annually. According to Western intelligence, Hamas managed to become involved in the field of financing [and even] managed to get money into the Gaza Strip through the use of reliable individuals, including merchants. Some of it is even cleanly [i.e., legally] transferred through Israeli banks.

[Handwritten: Hamas’ external funding]

3. Hamas’ funding comes from three [external] sources :
  A. The United States : Hamas raises about ten percent of its capital through donations, the sale of periodicals and charity.
  B. France, Germany and Britain : [Hamas] has three periodicals in Britain: Muhajirun, Filisteen al-Muslima2 and the Palestine Times. In Britain it also has a number of charitable societies (i.e., Palestinian and Lebanese Fund, Interpal’s previous name). It should be noted that in 1995 Hamas managed to raise almost $12 million dollars in Britain [alone].

2. Filisteen al-Muslim is prominent among Hamas publications. It is directed from Damascus, printed in Beirut, and edited (?) and distributed from Britain to, among other places, the PA-administered territories and Israel to this day (January 2005)
  C. The Middle East : According to intelligence reports, 40% of Hamas’ annual income comes from the sheikdoms in the Gulf States and institutions such as [Islamic] [charitable] societies. In addition to the Gulf States, there is Iran, which contributes about 10% of Hamas’ annual income. While Iran supports Hamas, in reality it would prefer supporting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, because it is a smaller movement and easier to control.
4. The dollars which find their way to Hamas’ coffers are used in a number of ways. According to Israeli sources, only 5% [Note: the number originally read 15% but the first digit was crossed out by an anonymous hand] finds its way to the military wing [and is used to finance] military items (weapons/explosives). The rest of the money is used in the PA-administered territories for [Hamas’] civilian undertakings.
5. It is known that the movement [Hamas] has control over [several types of] institutions: kindergartens, schools, athletic teams, clinics and mosque committees. That is, the movement creates the connection between religious affairs and politics and social issues . Thus, it in fact strengthens its presence and base in the Palestinian territories, and it is not a matter of chance that Hamas activists locate their suicide bombers from among school children or members of the movement’s athletic teams and associations. Hamas pays monthly allotments to the families of its shaheeds and wounded.
6. . Hamas policy-makers are not in a hurry. They desire an improvement in the conditions of the masses who are still struggling for existence while maintaining morale, and with regard to the financial aspect, they are interested – when the time comes – in pulling the rug out from under the régime of Arafat, who wants to found a [Palestinian] state [with himself as head].
7. Hamas’ financial sources around the world are :
  A. The United States
    1) Texas
      1. The Islamic Union for Palestine (Al-Ittihad al-Islami li- Filisteen)
      2. The Holy Land Foundation (Sunduq al-Ardh al-Muqaddassah)3

3. A designated Hamas-affiliated fund, outlawed by Israel in 1997.
    2) California
      1. The Mecca Investment Company (Makkah lil-Istithmar)
      2. The Muslim Youth Union (Ittidah al-Shabab al-Muslim)
    3)

Virginia : The United Association for Studies and Research (UASR) (Al-Mu’assassah al-Muttahidah lil-Dirassat wal- Abhath )

    4) Washington
      1.

The International Islamic Institutes (Al-Magician’ahid al-Islamiyya al-Dawliyyah )

      2.

The Muslim-American Union (Ittihad al-Muslimin al-Amrikiyyin )

    5) Florida
      1.

The Islamic Confederation for [Material] Support of Palestine (Al-Kunfidiraliyyah al-Islamiyya li-Da’m Filisteen)

      2. The Islamic Students’ Union (Ittihad al-Talabah al-Muslimin)
    6) New York : The North American Islamic Club (Al-Nadi al-Islami li-Shimal Amrika)
    7) Illinois ( Chicago)
      1. The Islamic Unions (Ittihadat Islamiya)
      2. Jerusalem Festivals (Ihtifalat al-Quds)
  B. Europe
    1) London : The Palestinian-Lebanese Fund (Al-Sunduq al-Filisteeni al-Lubnani)4

4. Interpal in its first incarnation, when it was called the Fund for Aid to Palestine and Lebanon.
    2) Paris
      1.

The Palestinian Solidarity Committee ( Comité de Bienfaisance et de Secours aux Palestiniens )(Lajnat al- Tadhamun ma’a Filisteen )5

5. The CBSP, a Hamas-affiliated designated fund which was outlawed by Israel in 1997 and declared a terrorist organization in 1999.
      2. The Islamic Unions (Al-Ittihadat al-Islamiyya)
    3) Holland-Belgium : Al-Aqsa Fund (Sunduq Al-Aqsa)6

6. A Hamas-affiliated designated fund operating in Germany, Holland, Belgium and Denmark, outlawed by Israel in 1997 and declared a terrorist organization in 1999.
    4) Germany ( Berlin):
      1.

The Islamic Federation for Palestine (Al-Fidiraliyyah al-Islamiyya li-Filisteen )

      2. The Muslim Union (Ittihad al-Muslimin)
  C. Africa and the Middle East
    1) Saudi Arabia
      1. The World Muslim Union (Ittihad al-Muslimin al-‘Alami)
      2. The World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) (Al-Mu’tamar al-Islami al-’Alami lil-Shabab)
      3. Charity (Al-Zakat)
    2) Sudan , Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, the Arab Emirates
      1.

Centers for raising funds and Islamic Social Unions (Marakiz li-Jam’ al-Tabarru’at wa-Ittihadat Ijtima’iyyah Islamiyya )

      2. Charity (Al-Zakat)
    3)

Iran (the government) [parentheses in the original]: [allots] funds to finance the training of operative units and for [material] support after [the carrying out of] acts against Israel (bonuses) [parentheses in the original].

8. Where do the billions come from? [sic. “Millions” was intended.] Hamas’ annual income is about $60-70 million. Fund raising is divided as follows :
  A. 40% from the Gulf States.
  B. 10% from Iran.
  C. 8% from Britain .
  D. 10% from the United States.
  E. The rest from other sources.
9. How does Hamas use its income ? It has three [types of] large Islamic institutions which deal with the social areas of life. Each receives $20 million for its specific area, as follows:
  A. Social services : various clinics
  B.

Education : Hamas runs 150 kindergartens, a number of Islamic universities and supports students.

  C.

Sports : Hamas runs dozens of teams and supervises sports and culture clubs.


Appendix H

Original Document



 
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