Britain freezes assets of Israeli Arab charity
LONDON - Britain's finance minister Gordon Brown Thursday ordered financial institutions to freeze all assets of the Al-Aqsa Foundation, saying the charity is suspected of having links with terrorist activity. The foundation, officially a charity supporting widows and orphans, is affiliated to Israel's Islamic Movement, which is led by Israeli Arabs. Israeli police arrested 13 Israeli Arabs belonging to the Movement on May 13 on suspicion of money laundering for Hamas. A statement from Britain's Treasury said the action against the Al-Aqsa Foundation had been taken in conjunction with the United States and other international allies. Israel's Islamic Movement, founded in the 1970s, has two representatives in the Israeli parliament and controls five municipalities.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-05-29 |