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Research conducted jerusalem post Staff and multiple sources are deeply involved in funding Hamas’ activities through the Al-Quds Foundation, an international organization sanctioned by the United States and outlawed by Israel, using accounts registered in major countries. It exposed what appears to be a network of several South African organizations and straw companies involved. Local banks in South Africa: Standard Bank, Nedbank, Absa.
Global Al Quds Foundation
The Al-Quds International Foundation (also known as Al-Quds International Institute, QII) was established in Beirut in 2001 by members of Hamas to raise funds for terrorist organizations under the guise of charity. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, Hamas leadership runs all of the foundation’s affairs through Hamas members who serve on the board of directors and other management committees, and all documents, plans, budgets, and projects are drafted by Hamas officials. has been done. In addition, several senior Hamas officials, including specially designated global terrorists Moussa Abu Marzouk and Osama Hamdan, served on Al-Quds’ Board of Trustees.
The foundation is part of a broader network of Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated organizations, and until recently Shaikh, the Sunni world’s most prominent Islamic scholar of the past few decades and also aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood’s axis.・It was chaired by Yusuf Al-Qaradawi. He gained notoriety in the West for his infamous fatwa (Islamic legal ruling) in which he supported and praised suicide bombers.
The foundation is currently chaired by Sheikh Hamid bin Abdullah al-Ahmar, a Yemeni businessman based in Turkey, who is a member of Yemeni Al-Ahmar, a political offshoot of Yemen’s Muslim Brotherhood movement. He is a leading figure in the Islah Party.
In 2012, this foundation was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for being “controlled by and acting on behalf of Hamas,” including freezing assets held by the foundation under US jurisdiction and imposing full-fledged sanctions against the US. Sanctions were imposed, including a ban on entry and exit. The public will not be able to participate in transactions with it. Israel outlawed the foundation in 2009 for similar reasons.
Activities and coverage in South Africa
Despite U.S. and Israeli sanctions, the foundation continues to operate around the world, with about 13 chapters in different countries, sometimes using different names. There is also a registered organization in South Africa called Al-Quds Foundation SA, which openly identifies itself on its new website as “a branch of the Al-Quds Foundation headquartered in Lebanon”.
The organization itself boasts about its fundraising efforts, claiming that the funds will be transferred to the needy in Gaza. The foundation’s website lists Sheikh Ebrahim Gabriels, who has led the South African chapter since 2019, as a director.
Previously, Gabriels was a former president of the Islamic Judicial Council of South Africa (MJC) and the United Ulama Council of South Africa (UUCSA). According to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Intelligence Center, MJC is a member of the Union of Good, an umbrella organization made up of more than 50 alleged charities around the world that raise money and provide funding for Hamas activities. Hamas, which also funds Hamas activities, is also designated as a terrorist group under U.S. law. Since 2008.
In 2017, Gabriels met with a Hamas delegation led by Hamas Politburo members Mohammad Nazar and Maher Obeid. He also met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza in 2011 after joining a brigade to Gaza.
Additionally, in 2008, he visited Israel and met with Raed Salah, leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Islamic Movement. In other instances, he has been seen photographed alongside his QII leaders in Beirut (2016) and South Africa (2014).
Additionally, in 2022, Gabriels published a photo of himself with Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi and Nelson Mandela, along with a short tribute to Qaradawi, saying:[eikh] Yusuf al-Qardawi has passed away. ” The two met during Qaradawi’s visit to South Africa in 2010, when Gabriels was among those who welcomed Qaradawi upon his arrival.
Use a proxy to avoid problems
Nevertheless, the South African branch of the Al-Quds Foundation appears to be facing certain obstacles when it comes to transferring funds to Hamas, officials said. When we contacted our contacts within the foundation, the speaker informed us that there had been “some issues” with the Al-Quds Foundation’s bank account registered with Absa Bank, so we had to open another bank account named “” in order to accept funds from abroad. He commented that he used an account belonging to the group. Baitul Maqdis Foundation instead.
This organizational cover is further strengthened by the October 2023 poster showing bank details for donations to Al-Quds Foundation SA. The foundation uses a Standard Bank account named Baitul Maqdis, and sources say it also processes transfers in US dollars. As South African Rand:
Baitul Maqdis Foundation claims to be a registered NPO. But no organization with that name or number can be found in official records, and online searches show the name virtually nowhere, except on his nearly blank Facebook page. Additionally, no information was found regarding the founders, employees, or directors.
In addition to the Standard bank account mentioned above, Baitul Maqdis also has a bank account with Nedbank, which he also uses to transfer funds from abroad to the Al-Quds Foundation in South Africa, as a confirmed source .
In his short time on Facebook, Baitul Maqdis blamed Jewish extremists for the 1969 attempt by Christian pilgrims to set fire to Al-Aqsa Mosque, and lied about an alleged conspiracy in Jerusalem. has spread anti-Semitic and ahistorical conspiracy theories, including attributing quotes from Israeli leaders to Israeli leaders. .
It is worth mentioning that the name Bait al-Maqdis (or Bayt al-Maqdis) is another traditional Islamic name for Jerusalem, along with the better-known al-Quds. This means that both organizations call themselves the Jerusalem Foundation, which loosely translates to.
In other words, the shady Baitul Maqdis Foundation is a cover for Al-Quds Foundation’s efforts to transfer funds to Hamas through Standard Bank and Nedbank accounts, but not through Absa accounts. They admit there were some “problems”. ”
Notably, all three banks rank among South Africa’s top four banks in terms of assets, with Standard Bank having approximately $170 billion worth of assets in banking offices, partnerships and shares in the UK, Argentina and Turkey. , and is at the top of the list. and throughout the African continent.
Sheikh Hamid al-Ahmar is responsible for all trading operations from South Africa to the Hamas affiliate’s Lebanese base, the people said. He is a prominent businessman from Sanaa, Yemen. He said on his website that he was the owner of Sabah Islamic Bank and the Yemeni communications group Sabafon, was vice president of an Arab tourism company in the Gulf and Yemen region, and was a member of the Oil Development Board. . Yemeni parliament and even Finland’s honorary consul general in Yemen.
Mr. Al-Ahmar is an ardent supporter of terrorist organizations. On October 8, the day after the Hamas massacre, he called on Yemen’s Houthis to provide support to the Palestinians and “turn their statements into acts of support for the struggle and sacrifices of the Palestinian people.” Additionally, in 2006, he celebrated Hamas’ victory in the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian general election, and reportedly donated $1 million to a joint Palestinian-Yemeni enterprise.
He also enjoys strong ties with the Hamas leadership, and in 2013 hosted a Hamas delegation led by Osama Hamdan, a key figure in Hamas’s political bureau, on the occasion of a child’s wedding. Additionally, in September 2021, Hamas leader Haniyeh delivered a eulogy following the death of al-Ahmar’s brother, and Haniyeh and al-Ahmar were photographed together in numerous photos over the years.
Nedbank could not confirm whether Baitul Makdis was a customer due to bank and customer confidentiality. In response, Nedbank said it had a “comprehensive risk management and compliance program” in place “in line with international standards for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing”. It added that Nedbank is “confident in its strict compliance with sanctions and relevant laws.” [their] Risk management controls and reporting obligations are strong. Furthermore, if a bank becomes aware of “illegal or suspicious activity in a customer’s account,” it “will not hesitate to take necessary measures.” [their] We will proceed with the process in accordance with relevant laws. ”
Due to banker and customer confidentiality, Nedbank is not at liberty to confirm whether the above-mentioned person is a Nedbank customer, nor can we comment on customer details or accounts. ”
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