Gaza and Charities at War: Treasury Designates “The Benevolent Society” as a Terrorist Funder
In war, the good die more often than the bad. Treasury today announced sanctions against Hamas terrorist funders, including the “Al-Ansar Charity Association.” The sanctions penalize and sometimes even criminalize “the contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.” Ok. I am all for that.
So I went online to see if I could find out about these terrorists masquerading as nonprofits. The problem, I discovered, is that apparently “ansar” has religious connotations related to love, kindness and benevolence (it means “the helper”) and is therefore used frequently in the names of charitable organizations. There are “Al-Ansar” charities in the UK, “Al-Ansar” charities in Australia, and a buncha “Al-Ansar” charities in the US. They must be all over the place in the middle east and throughout Africa. I found another Al Ansar in Canada. I checked around the Office of Foreign Asset Control website (it ain’t that easy to find, trust me) for evidence of the particulars of the Al-Ansar Charity Association and after a good bit of searching discovered that Treasury is referring specifically to the Al Ansar over on Al-Nasr Street in Gaza. Oh, you mean those guys! I should have known they were up to no good. Because there is another Al Ansar over on Abd al-Qader al-Husseini Street. But I am still not sure if that one is affiliated with the others in the UK, Australia or right here in America. You know what, hell with it. To be safe, I guess I better cancel all organizations with “Al-Ansar” in their names from my, my foundation, and my company’s charitable contribution list. This is way too much work. I’m just happy Treasury didn’t designated “The Benevolent Society” the same way. Here is part of the announcement:
“Today’s action underscores the United States’ commitment to dismantling Hamas’s funding networks by deploying our counterterrorism sanctions authorities and working with our global partners to deny Hamas the ability to exploit the international financial system,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo. “We will not hesitate to take action to further degrade Hamas’s ability to commit horrific terrorist attacks by relentlessly targeting its financial activities and streams of funding.”
Ali Morshed Shirazi and Mostafa Mohammad Khani are Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) officials who train and assist PIJ, Hamas and Hizballah.
Ali Ahmad Faizullahi is an Iran-based commander of the Saberin Special Forces Brigade of the IRGC Ground Force. The Saberin Brigade has deployed to Syria and has provided training to Hamas and Hizballah. The unit has also played a role in the violent suppression of domestic protests in Iran.
The Iranian Bonyad Shahid, also known as the Martyrs Foundation, which was designated in 2007, provides millions of dollars through the Gaza-based and PIJ-affiliated Al-Ansar Charity Association (Al-Ansar) for the families of terrorists affiliated with Hamas and PIJ. Al-Ansar claims to provide funds to families affiliated with these terrorist groups as an extension of Iranian support to the Palestinian people, but the funding ultimately serves as a recruiting tool for terrorist activities. Some of the funds have been provided through the branches of Gaza-based Islamic National Bank, which was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 in 2010 for being controlled by Hamas.
Al-Ansar Charity Association is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, the U.S.-designated Martyrs Foundation, Hamas, and PIJ. Nasser Al Sheikh Ali is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Al-Ansar Charity Association.
. . .
As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons.
In addition, financial institutions and other persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with sanctioned entities and individuals may expose themselves to sanctions or be subject to an enforcement action. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.
darryll k. jones