Turkish foundation IHH

              Israeli security sources say that the Turkish foundation that is financing the Free Gaza flotilla was declared illegal in Israel two years ago because it raised money for Hamas. Turkey’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) was established in 1995 and registered in Istanbul. The organization was outlawed in Israel in May 2008 because of its affiliation with the “charity coalition” and the fact that it had become a major component in the global fund raising machine for the Hamas terrorist organization. The foundation’s declared goal is to provide assistance to Islamic groups in various places around the world, mainly in Asia. In recent years, however, there has been a marked trend in the organization to broaden its operations to various countries in Europe as well, sometimes by establishing branches that bear its name, even though they deny any connection to the IHH. The IHH has a radical Islamic orientation and is closely related to the extremist Islamic brotherhood. As part of this outlook, the IHH supports the Hamas terrorist organization and does not bother to hide its affiliation with Hamas. In recent years, primarily since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip, the IHH has organized public conferences in Turkey to demonstrate its support for Hamas, and senior Hamas officials have openly participated in these public displays. At these conferences, the heads of the IHH have expressed their uncompromising support for Hamas and its tactics, including its armed warfare on civilians and its defiance of the Palestinian Authority headed by Abu Mazen and Salam Fayyad. As part of the “charity coalition,” the IHH is affiliated with Hamas fund raising organizations around the world, providing substantial amounts of money for joint projects to support the Hamas regime and its institutions in the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank. These are “charity” organizations that belong to the Hamas terrorist movement and are controlled by senior Hamas activists. They include the Islamic Charity Organization in Hebron, which is considered the largest Hamas organization on the West Bank, and the Al-tadamun Benevolent Society in Nablus, another one of the major Hamas “charity” organizations - both of which have been outlawed in Israel for the same reason. The IHH conducts many activities in Gaza and even established a branch in Gaza City to promote its operations there. In January 2008, an IHH delegation met with Ahmad Bahar, a senior Hamas activist who is chairman of the legislative council of the Hamas regime in Gaza. During the meeting, the delegation described the scope of assistance that the IHH had provided to the Gaza Strip during the previous year and said that in future it would double that amount. To promote its activities, in November 2009 the IHH sent one of its activists, Azat Shahin, to open another branch on the West Bank. Shahin began work on establishing the new branch and even transferred tens of thousands of dollars from the IHH to the Hamas organizations mentioned above. However, these activities were halted by his arrest for questioning in April 2010 on suspicion of financing terrorism and supporting the Hamas terrorist organization. At the request of Turkish officials, he was deported from Israel after conclusion of the investigation in Israel. In summary, the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (the IHH), which has been outlawed in Israel, is now considered a significant player in the Hamas global fund raising machine. It is a radical Islamic organization associated with the Islamic Brotherhood, and does not conceal its support of Hamas and its ideology of terrorism. The IHH maintains direct contacts with senior Hamas officials and even organizes and participates in various conferences that are identified with the Islamic Brotherhood and Hamas. (10,09)