The Ad Kan organization and the “Choosing Life” Forum of Bereaved Families filed a complaint with the police on Sunday against the “Aid 48” Islamic association for orphans and the needy on suspicion of its involvement in money laundering, terrorist financing and offenses against anti-terrorism laws.
Israeli media reported over the weekend that Aid 48 is tied to the Islamist Ra’am party, a member of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s coalition, and is involved in funneling funds to the Gaza Strip. The son of the manager of the Tul Karem chapter is a known terrorist. Another member of the association is the sister of a terrorist tied to the 2002 Oark Hotek bombng that killed 30 Israelis.
Adv. Maurice Hirsch, legal counsel of the “Choosing Life” Forum, and Adv. Yosef Ackerman, the legal counsel for the Ad Kan organization, wrote in the complaint that “a study conducted by the organizations raises a real concern that the Islamic association for orphans, also known as Aid 48, and its directors, including CEO Ghazi Issa and president of the association Ali Kantani, are committing money laundering and terrorism offenses.”
“The suspicions are that in practice, the organization serves as an alternative to the organization that was closed by the Ministry of Defense, due to being a branch of Hamas, and serves as a hub for financing terrorism through support for terrorist families,” the complaint said.
The research revealed that the association’s directors held meetings and financial contacts with senior Hamas officials in Gaza.
The complaint alleges connections between Aid 48 and Hamas, meeting between the association members and terrorist elements, and a violation of the Anti-Terrorism Law that explicitly prohibits the transfer of financial assistance or property to a declared terrorist organization.
Hirsch stated that the complaint “reveals a very difficult reality in which an organization registered in Israel funnels money to Hamas. Senior members of the organization admit that the organization is a direct continuation of another organization that was outlawed for supporting terrorism.”
“I have spent most of my professional life dealing with Palestinian terrorism, with an emphasis on its ways of financing, and in this case, there is not just smoke, but a real fire,” he stated.
Adv. Yosef Ackerman of Ad Kan stated that “a reality in which individuals or associations work with hostile elements in the Gaza Strip cannot pass quietly.”
“We call on the Israel Police and all security forces to act immediately to clarify the issue and bring the forbidden ties to a halt,” he demanded.
Similarly, Members of Knesset Betzalel Smotrich and Nir Barkat filed separate complaints with the Registrar of Associations demanding the opening of an investigation into all the associations connected with the Aid 48 organization and the Ra’am party.
Barkat noted the urgency of investigation since the state budget, which is expected to pass this week, guarantees funds and coalition budgets for Ra’am, and there are fears that these funds will be channeled in one way or another to the existing association or similar associations, and then directly or indirectly, to terrorist organizations operating against Israel.