Arab Israeli man, Turkish citizen arrested for helping to fund Hamas

The Shin Bet security service announces it has arrested an Arab Israeli man and a Turkish citizen whom it suspects were helping the Hamas terrorist group raise and launder money to fund its military activities against Israel.

Kamil Takli, the Turkish national, was enlisted by Zaher Jabarin, a senior figure in Hamas responsible for its finances, the Shin Bet says. Jabarin was one of a thousand convicted Palestinian terrorists released from Israeli prison as part of a 2011 deal to secure the return of captured soldier Gilad Shalit.

According to the security service, he is suspected of setting up a shell company to help Hamas launder millions of dollars for its military activities in Gaza.

The Shin Bet implies Turkey gave tacit approval for his actions, saying authorities there “turned a blind eye” to the fact that the terrorist group was the source of the money.

Takli was kicked out of Israel after his interrogation, the Shin Bet says.

The Arab Israeli suspect, Durgham Jabarin, a resident of Umm al-Fahm, is expected to be charged in the coming days, the security service says.

Jabarin is suspected of transporting large sums of money in euros from Turkey to the West Bank on Hamas’s behalf, the Shin Bet says. When the two were arrested last month, security forces found 91,000 euros in Jabarin’s home, the service says.

— Judah Ari Gross