’Israel’ Bans UK Charity for Funding Hamas

Local Editor

"Israel" on Thursday banned a British-based charity from operating in the occupied West Bank, claiming that the Islamic Relief Worldwide [IRW] is of being a source of funding for the Palestinian Hamas movement.

The edict was issued as part of "Israel's" aggression on the Palestinians, through raids on the West Bank institutions and arrests of civilians.

War Minister Moshe Yaalon signed an order declaring the IRW an "unauthorized association" and empowering "Israeli" authorities to seize any funds the group might send to Palestinians in the West Bank.

No comment was immediately available from the IRW in Britain. Officials in an affiliate office, International Relief in Palestine, in the Gaza Strip said they had no information about the "Israeli" decision.

According to IRW's website, it has been working in the Palestinian territories since 1994, tending to underprivileged, malnourished and traumatized children as well as creating jobs and encouraging entrepreneurship with interest-free loans.

Founded in 1984, IRW operates in more than 30 countries, promoting economic and social development. It lists the European Commission, the World Health Organization and UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency - among its "key partners".

In a statement, Yaalon claimed some of the charity's chapters, including those in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, were run by Hamas members.

"The IRW is one of the sources of Hamas's funding and a means for raising funds from various countries in the world," the statement said. "We do not intend to allow it to function and abet "terrorist" activity against "Israel.""

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team