In the wake of the Channel 13 News investigation into Islamic Movement-affiliated NGOs, it was very surprising that politicians – who until recently sat at the government table, heard all the security assessments, and spoke, hosted and embraced MK Mansour Abbas, yet have now turned him into a "terror supporter" – were surprised by the findings.
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I am not a supporter of the Islamic Movement, but the severe response in this case borders on an orchestrated campaign against it and members of the Ra'am party, which thus far has not changed its behavior or ideology, nor have the various organizations affiliated with it.
Organizations with ties to the Islamic Movement tend to be NGOs, whose activities and financial reports adhere to the transparency standards required by law, and are stringently monitored by the relevant authorities, including the Registrar of Associations. It is an absolute certainty that they are also in contact with the relevant security authorities to coordinate and arrange the delivery of humanitarian aid to areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, and particularly to Gaza.
The Shin Bet and other security bodies make every possible effort, with considerable success, to prevent any such aid from reaching hostile elements to the country, through the proper legal channels. The State of Israel has an interest, particularly from a public relations perspective, to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
Meanwhile, Hamas, too, has understood that the Arab public in Israel must not be part of the armed struggle, even though in the past it has been able to recruit citizens of Israel to serve its goals. This phenomenon, however, is virtually non-existent. Israel's Arab citizens also understand that any connection with Hamas in support of illegal activity is completely out of bounds.
The prohibition of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel all but eradicated this humanitarian activity in PA-controlled areas. Neither the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee nor the Arab political parties are spearheading such action – only the Islamic Movement, which focused on this work for decades before eventually wading into the political waters and the Knesset, and whose goal is to help the needy, orphans and widows. Should a child be allowed to die of starvation because his father was involved in terrorist activity?
To all the politicians seeking to tie the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement to Hamas, let me say: calm down, the connection has existed for decades and is monitored by the security authorities. And, as stated, it serves Israel's interests no less than those of the Islamic Movement.
When an NGO affiliated with the Islamic Movement raises funds from private or public donors, it needs to report both the source and purpose of these funds or risk exposure to sanctions that could culminate in the confiscation materials or even closure of the organization. And this is certainly what happens, at least according to the publicly available financial reports. Otherwise, the relevant authorities – from the banks to the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority, to the Shin Bet security agency – would intervene immediately, especially in these sensitive times.
The leaders of the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement have repeatedly declared it as a sister movement to the Muslim Brotherhood that has and still maintains contact with civilian Islamic elements and understands the gravity of having ties to the military arms of various Islamic movements. It is furthermore a pragmatic movement that believes its purpose is to serve the Arab public in Israel, which is why it left the Joint Arab List faction and entered the coalition – without preconditions or any nationalist collectivist demands.
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