East Jerusalem residents convicted for leading Hamas activity

Three East Jerusalem residents were convicted Wednesday for their involvement in the management of a Hamas civilian operations office in the capital. The three, all Israeli citizens, were accused of supervising the activities of dozens of Hamas members and institutions operating illegally within the city.

A Jerusalem District Court found that Yacoub Abu Asab, Kifah Sarhan and Ahmad Alian served on the administrative board of Hamas’s Jerusalem advisory council. According to the court, the three convicts, along with four other unnamed Hamas members, set up a “well organized and hierarchical system” for the terrorist group’s civilian wing.

The operations included Hamas-run summer camps, meetings and religious study groups, the court said.

The office was run by Abu Asab, while Sarhan and Alian served as his assistants.

Sarhan was also convicted of money laundering for terrorist causes. According to the court, Sarhan, who was in charge of fundraising, worked alongside merchants who transferred money from Jordan to Jerusalem in order to fund Hamas activities in the city.

The courts ruled that although much of the funds distributed by the office were allocated to charity and welfare organizations, the main purpose behind the distribution was to spread Hamas ideology.

“These services, though seemingly humanitarian in nature, were designed to broaden the base of public support for the terrorist organization and create economic dependency on the terrorist organization throughout the population, as well as raise solidarity and commitment to the group’s values​,” read a statement issued by the court.

“That is how these Hamas ‘charities’ spread the group’s ideology and widen its support base,” the statement concluded.