Schanzer - Should Treasury Sanction the Palestinian Investment Fund?

Jonathan Schanzer
Weekly Standard Online
November 8, 2011

http://schanzer.pundicity.com/10668/should-treasury-sanction-the-palestinian

In a move that should startle members of Congress, a Palestinian sovereign wealth fund that has long received American taxpayer support will soon begin building houses for convicted members of terrorist organizations.

The Palestine News and Information Agency WAFA reported over the weekend that Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has tapped the Palestinian Investment Fund (PIF) to build houses for the prisoners released in the October exchange that freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, whom Hamas had held for five years. Recipients will include convicted members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

The money that Abbas has tapped for the homes of terrorists is only the latest PIF transgression. After their release last month, the PA feted the Gaza-based prisoners at the al-Mashtal Hotel, the only five-star accommodations in Gaza—and another PIF property.

Under Palestinian Authority prime minister Salaam Fayyad, the PIF was celebrated for its transparent business practices, but in recent months, it has become involved in funding more and more questionable projects.

PIF is partly owned and controlled by Hamas. In early March, Hamas seized its offices in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas has presided as the de facto government since the 2007 civil war. Since March, it has become clear that Hamas controls numerous PIF accounts, including the luxury Hanadi Tower office building, a factory, cars, and other assets.

The PIF sent out an email noting that Hamas had "confiscated some of its assets and properties." The fund declared that it wouldn't "be responsible for any future measures, deals, or agreements" associated with those holdings, and that whatever Hamas did would not "represent the PIF or its companies and properties." But according to former Palestinian officials familiar with the matter, the PIF continues to cooperate with Hamas to ensure that its investments are being handled properly.

In other words, Hamas has become a silent partner of the PIF.

Why Is the State Department Covering for a Known Terror Group?

Moshe Dann
pajamasmedia.com
12 June '10

Why is the U.S. government covering for IHH, a Turkish “charity” organization with ties to terrorists?

A State Department spokesman told Fox News that the IHH (Humanitarian Relief Foundation) has not been designated as a foreign terrorist organization. He added:

We are fully committed to taking appropriate action against foreign groups engaging in terrorist activity in order to prevent such groups from obtaining the resources and support needed to undertake terrorist activity.

The Treasury Department, which is mandated to implement Executive Order 13224, was even more evasive. Asked if they had seen Danish, French, and Turkish intelligence reports and other information on the IHH, a Treasury official acknowledged that the NGO is not on their “Specially Designated Nationals List,” and would not “comment on other governments’ intelligence.”

This is not about Israeli security; it is about threats to American homeland security.

A foreign NGO with a documented history of contacts with terrorists has been directly linked with Islamist terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda, and government agencies tasked with protecting America have suddenly become impotent and ignorant. Concerns about keeping Turkey pro-Western and in NATO are legitimate, but they do not override American security needs. An important U.S. ally, Turkey is increasingly moving towards radical Islamism, embracing Iran and its own jihadists.

(Read full article)

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