(Archived Content)
HP-1267
Washington, DC- The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated the Union of Good, anorganization created by Hamas leadership to transferfunds to the terrorist organization.
Terrorist groups such as Hamas continue to exploit charities to radicalize vulnerable communities and cultivate support for their violent activities, said Stuart Levey, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. The U.S. Government will continue to expose and undermine the activities of charities working on behalf of Hamas and other terrorist groups. At the same time, we are working with the charitable sectorto expand the range of legitimate alternatives forproviding charitable assistance to the Palestinian people.
Union of Good was designated today under Executive Order 13224, which targetsterrorists, terrorist organizations, and those providing financial, technological, or materialsupport to terrorists, terrorist organizations, or acts of terrorism. Any assets the Union ofGood holds under U.S. jurisdiction are frozen and U.S. persons are prohibited fromengaging in any transactions with the Union of Good.
The leadership of Hamas created the Union of Good in late-2000, shortly after the start of the second Intifada, in order to facilitate the transfer of funds to Hamas. The Union ofGood acts as a broker for Hamas by facilitating financial transfers between a web ofcharitable organizations–including several organizations previously designated underE.O. 13224 for providing support to Hamas–and Hamas-controlled organizations in theWest Bank and Gaza. The primary purpose of this activity is to strengthen Hamas’political and military position in the West Bank and Gaza, including by: (i) divertingcharitable donations to support Hamas members and the families of terrorist operatives;and (ii) dispensing social welfare and other charitable services on behalf of Hamas.
Among the primary financiers of Union of Good projects are several organizations designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for providing support to Hamas and other terroristgroups, including the International Palestine Relief and Development Fund (Interpal), Al-Aqsa Foundation, Comite de Bienfaisance et de Secours aux Palestiniens (CBSP), theAssociation de Secours Palestiniens (ASP) of Switzerland, the Palestinian Association inAustria (PVOE), and the Sanabil Association for Relief and Development in Lebanon.The Union of Good facilitates the transfer of tens of millions of dollars a year to Hamas-managed associations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Funds raised by the Union of Good affiliates have been transferred to Hamas-managedorganizations in the West Bank and Gaza. In addition to providing cover for Hamasfinancial transfers, some of the funds transferred by the Union of Good havecompensated Hamas terrorists by providing payments to the families of suicide bombers.One of them, the Al-Salah Society, previously identified as a key support node forHamas, was designated in August 2007 under E.O. 13224. The Society employed anumber of members of the Hamas military wing and supported Hamas-affiliatedcombatants during the first Intifada.
The Union of Good’s executive leadership and board of directors includes Hamasleaders, Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), and other terrorist supporters. The secretary general of the Union of Good, for example, also acts as the vice-chairmanof the United Kingdom-based Interpal, which was designated in 2003 for providingfinancial support to Hamas under the cover of charitable activity. As of mid-2007, thisofficial served on the Hamas executive committee under Hamas leader Khaled Misha’al.
Board members of the Union of Good include a West Bank Hamas member, and Abd alMajid al-Zindani, a Yemen-based Hamas fundraiser who was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 in 2004 for providing support to al-Qaida. In 2006, Zindani delivered a fundraisingspeech at a Hamas conference in Yemen where the crowd pledged millions of riyals forHamas.
The United States is also actively working with the Arab-American community and otherinterested donors to provide alternate relief mechanisms to the Palestinian people as we take action against the HAMAS charitable infrastructure.
Identifying Information UNION OF GOODAKAs: Charity CoalitionCoalition of GoodI’tilaf Al-KhairI’tilaf Al-Khayr101 Days CampaignEtelaf Al-Khair** Address:** P.O. Box 136301, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 21313**-30-**