DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - ISRAEL/HOLY LAND: SAUDIS FINANCING HAMAS IN A BID TO GAIN A FOOTHOLD ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT

Saudi-Based Charity Helping Hamas Gain Foothold on Temple Mount
By Julie Stahl

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - A charity based in Saudi Arabia has been funneling money to Hamas members in Jerusalem who have been working quietly to establish a presence on the Temple Mount, Israeli security sources said.

The issue of Jerusalem and control of the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, is one of the most hotly contested issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Temple Mount, where two consecutive Jewish Temples stood long ago, is the holiest site in Judaism. It is currently the site of several important Islamic shrines, including the Golden Dome of the Rock and Al-Aksa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said on Monday that the Shin Bet (secret service) and Israel police had found evidence of intensive Hamas activity in Jerusalem, especially concerning the Temple Mount. The activity was financed by Hamas elements abroad.

Eleven Hamas members living in eastern Jerusalem were arrested, including 10 who hold Israeli identity cards, which allows them freedom of movement throughout Israel, the Shin Bet said. A glass factory owner, a teacher, and the chairman of a charity organization were among those arrested for various crimes, including membership in a terrorist organization, financing terrorism and illegal use of property for terrorist purposes.

Dr. Dore Gold, a diplomat and president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, said Hamas has been trying for years to infiltrate Jerusalem, but Israel has been working discreetly for some time to restrict activities on the Temple Mount.

"Israel has quietly reasserted its control over much of the Temple Mount activity with the assistance of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan," said Gold. (Jordan used to control the Temple Mount, until it was edged out by the Palestinian Authority.)

The Mount is currently under Israeli sovereignty, but Islamic religious authorities (the WAQF) administer daily activities on the plateau. Until the creation of the Palestinian Authority in the early 1990s, those Islamic religious authorities were Jordanian.

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Pertinent Links:

1) Saudi-Based Charity Helping Hamas Gain Foothold on Temple Mount