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23:17 GMT
WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (KUNA) -- The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated six Palestinian nonprofit organizations under the suspicion of having covert links with Hamas movement.
"Hamas's insidious practice of operating behind civilian organizations endangers Palestinians and undermines efforts to build a lasting and prosperous peace," the Dept. said in a press release on Wednesday.
"By exposing organizations with secret ties to Hamas, OFAC is strengthening the international community's ability to support legitimate Palestinian interests," it noted.
Commenting on today's action, Under-Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley said,"Hamas continues to show a callous disregard for the welfare of the Palestinian people."
"The Trump Administration will not look the other way while Hamas leadership and enablers exploit the financial system to fund terrorist operations," he added.
Today's action targets six Gaza-based organizations that claim to provide medical care to Palestinian civilians but in fact support the military wing of Hamas, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
The fraudulent nature of these organizations, which use deception to raise funds from international donors, demonstrates Hamas's perfidy and deprives innocent civilians of the medical care they need.
OFAC is also targeting the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, an organization that purports to broadly represent Palestinians but is clandestinely controlled by Hamas and has been a key backer of several so-called flotillas attempting to access Gaza, according to the statement.
Today's action is being taken pursuant to the counterterrorism authority, Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended.
On October 31, 2001, the U.S. Department of State designated Hamas pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having committed, or posing a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals, or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.
Hamas is also designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. (end)
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