Defense minister outlaws Turkish group over Hamas allegations
Istanbul-based Kanadil Institute said to be funneling money to terror organization, Muslim Brotherhood for projects in Jerusalem
An order outlawing a Turkish aid group accused of funneling money to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood was announced by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman Wednesday.
The Istanbul-based International Kanadil Institute for Humanitarian Aid and Development is accused by Israeli authorities of sending money to organizations listed as terror groups by Jerusalem.
“The Kanadil foundation is identified with Hamas and with the Muslim Brotherhood and in recent years had been used as a main pipeline for funding projects by Hamas in Jerusalem,” Liberman’s spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesman said the organization’s director and numerous employees are closely associated with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
The move comes days after Israel and Turkey re-established full diplomatic ties after a several-year freeze. Israel has criticized Turkey and its ruling AKP party for its continued support of Hamas, though the detente between the countries has moved forward despite Ankara’s backing of the group.
There was no immediate reaction from Kanadil or Turkey to the move.
The ministry had blacklisted Kanadil in October, according to the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority, but the order was only announced Wednesday.
The Defense Ministry did not specify what projects in Jerusalem the group was helping Hamas fund.
On its website, Kanadil lists a number of projects in Jerusalem it is involved with, including social programs, job training, education, loans to small business and farmers and procurement of raw materials for small manufacturers.
Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, while the Jerusalem branch of the Muslim Brotherhood was outlawed in 2007. Hamas was originally founded as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The terror group has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks in Jerusalem over the past year, including a recent shooting in October at the city’s Ammunition Hill light rail station in which two Israelis were killed.
