Virginia orders SJP umbrella group to release Hamas-funding docs
American Muslims for Palestine is accused of funding Hamas in US state; relatives of Oct. 7 victims file lawsuit against organization for legitimizing and promoting the terrorists
Reporter at The Times of Israel
NEW YORK — A Virginia court has ordered American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) to hand over records related to the group allegedly funding Hamas and other international terrorist organizations.
The Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation, also known as American Muslims for Palestine, is the parent organization of National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Dozens of SJP chapters across the US participated in anti-Israel protests that roiled US college campuses this spring.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has been formally investigating AMP’s alleged ties to Hamas and other terrorist organizations since 2016, when his office made an initial records request. AMP attempted to avoid handing over records, but a state court ruling on July 16 said AMP must comply with the AG’s probe.
In his office’s request for information from AMP, Miyares said on Tuesday that there is “reason to believe that AMP may have solicited charitable contributions in the Commonwealth without first having been registered with the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.”
AMP did not respond to interview requests from The Times of Israel.
In addition to failing to register as an IRS-designated 501c3 charity in Virginia, AMP is accused of having “knowingly used or permitted the use of funds raised by a solicitation of contributions to provide support to terrorists, terrorist organizations, terrorist activities, or family members of terrorists.”
In May, nine American and Israeli survivors and victims of the October 7 Hamas massacres filed a lawsuit in Virginia against AMP. The group alleged that AMP collaborated with Hamas by legitimizing the massacres.
Miyares did not immediately respond to an interview request from The Times of Israel.
‘Broader concerns about terrorism’
The Virginia AG’s investigation was catalyzed by a ruling in the high-profile case, “Boim v. American Muslims for Palestine.”
In 2004, a federal district court ruled that Islamic organizations supporting Hamas bore “primary responsibility” for David Boim’s murder by Hamas terrorists in 1996. (Boim was studying at a yeshiva outside Jerusalem when Hamas terrorists shot and killed him at a bus stop. The federal court ruling ordered several Islamist nonprofits to pay $156 million in damages.)
The judgment in the Boim case was made against the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP) and the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF). Soon after the ruling, IAP was dissolved.
Since 2017, Chicago-based attorney Dan Schlessinger has worked with Boim’s parents to expose nonprofits that support Hamas — including by filing a civil lawsuit against AMP, the current iteration of IAP.
“The court ruling [of July 16] in the Virginia AG case was based largely on the allegations in our lawsuit — that is what initiated the investigation,” Schlessinger told The Times of Israel. “Our complaint established the relationship between AMP and IAP. And IAP was supporting Hamas terrorists,” said Schlessinger.
Schlessinger, who serves as chair of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s board of governors, noted that IAP was funneling up to $3 million annually into Hamas coffers by the 1990s. Not long after the 9/11 attacks on America, IAP assets and strategies began to transform themselves into AMP, founded in 2006.
In the assessment of Schlessinger, states beyond Virginia should open investigations into AMP. He specifically mentioned the intensity of AMP activities in Michigan, Arizona, California, and New Jersey.
“[The federal government] has a broader concern about terrorism in general, [when it comes to] Hamas, and several other organizations that are supporters of Hamas, to make sure that America is safe,” said Schlessinger.
So far, three Congressional committees have asked AMP for financial information and records, said Schlessinger. These include the powerful Ways & Means Committee, as well as the Education and Oversight Committees.
“There is a high level of concern at the federal level that includes [AMP’s] connections to foreign entities, terrorist groups and tax issues. And there are a lot of concerns about these campus activities,” said Schlessinger.
If evidence is found linking AMP in Virginia to the financial support of Hamas, AMP would be forced to close operations in that state, said Schlessinger. Either way, he said, there is a disturbing through-line regarding US-based support for Hamas since the 1990s.
“Some of the same Hamas leadership who ordered the attack that killed David Boim 27 years ago ordered the October 7 atrocities,” said Schlessinger. “This has to stop.”
