On Tuesday, Israeli media revealed that the Jordanian Waqf, which runs things on the Temple mount since the sacred place was liberated in June 1967, has been running a Hamas-affiliated association on the Temple Mount for the past 30 years, give or take. The association’s chairman who is authorized to sign the checks is Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, the combative Mufti of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and a senior Waqf figure.
On Thursday, Hakol Hayehudi added a mind-boggling bonus: Minister for Regional Cooperation Issawi Frej (Meretz) served for some 12 years as the accountant for the same Hamas-affiliated association. Frej started studying in 1982 at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to become an accredited accountant and has initiated the forum to encourage business initiatives by Arabs and Jews (‘חשיפה: רואה החשבון של עמותת חמאס: השר עיסאווי פריג).
An indictment was filed against the Hamas association in mid-March, but the Israeli authorities have concealed its ties to the Waqf and refrained from prosecuting senior members of the association. But events this week have suggested that the Bennett government is cognizant of the Hamas-Waqf connection. The indictment attributes to the organization 15 years of activity in the service of Hamas, funneling about NIS 28 million ($9 million) to the terrorist organization (in reality, the association was founded as far back as 1992, but there may be a statute of limitation issues regarding the span of the indictment – DI).
According to the indictment that was filed in the Jerusalem District Court, Khaled Sabah, the Al-Quds Zakat Committee’s director-general for the past 25 years, and his two sons Munib and Musab carried out terrorist activities on behalf of Hamas. The Al-Quds Zakat Committee is also cited by the indictment as a legal entity, as well as a man named Firas Tutach who funneled millions of dollars for the organization from sources in Turkey.
Khaled Sabah was allegedly ordered to recruit new members for Hamas, and organize riots in Jerusalem and the Temple Mount during the coming month of Ramadan.
The prosecution requested that the four be detained until the end of the legal proceedings against them and that their funds and property in the amount of approximately NIS 800,000 ($250,000) be frozen.
Here’s the document Hakol Hayehudi presented to prove its assertion. It was seized in a raid on the Hamas association’s offices:
The document identifies Issawi Frej, a resident of Kafr Qassem, as holding the position of Accountant since January 1, 1998.
Frej served as the accountant for the Al-Quds Zakat Committee, which presents itself as “an independent Palestinian non-profit Islamic charitable organization operating in Jerusalem and its suburbs. It operates under the supervision of the Jordanian Ministry of Waqf, Islamic Affairs, and Holy Places. The Jerusalem Zakat Committee was established in 1988 with the approval of the Jordanian Ministry of Endowments, Affairs, and Islamic Holy Places. The headquarters of the main committee is inside the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. The establishment of the Jerusalem Zakat Committee was a pioneering step to serve the Palestinian charitable work and the obligation of zakat (charity), and to serve the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Back in January, Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani announced: “Occupation authorities are constantly seeking to deport and arrest the guards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially in light of the increase in almost daily incursions by settlers to Al-Aqsa Mosque, and their attempts to perform Talmudic rituals and prayers.”
On Wednesday it was reported that Interior Security Minister Omer Barlev had visited Jordan secretly a week ago to meet with the Jordanian Foreign Minister regarding the Temple Mount, and Walla quoted an Israeli official as saying: “We have reached an agreement that the Jordanians will make sure that there are no Hamas supporters among the Waqf members and Israel will agree to slightly increase the number of Waqf guards when everyone goes through an Israeli inspection to make sure he is not connected to a terrorist organization.”
Why the need for “Hamas cleansing?” Obviously, the Israeli security apparatus has discovered to its horror that the entire Waqf on the Temple Mount is run by a Hamas leader.
Minister Frej is yet to respond to the accusations that he, a man of peace and regional cooperation, was running the flywheels of a Hamas charity. The police have not responded to Hakol Hayehudy’s inquiry either.
Here’s a question Minister Frej will have to answer, sooner or later: is it conceivable that he served as Director Sabah’s accountant for more than a decade and was not aware of his ties to terrorists?
But will he even be ordered to testify? Not likely, not while this government is running things.
Update: Minister Frej told Galatz Radio, “I have served as an accountant for many businesses, including this association in East Jerusalem. I am not expected to run a private investigator with every client I work with.”
