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Meet the Hamas Billionaires

(Globes) Ella Levy-Weinrib - How did Hamas leaders, who were born and raised in refugee camps, become so wealthy? Col. (res.) Dr. Moshe Elad, a lecturer in the Middle East Department at Western Galilee Academic College, explained that the money came from "legacies from the deceased, money from charity funds...and donations from various countries. It started with Syria and Saudi Arabia, with Iran added later and becoming one of Hamas' biggest supporters, and ended with Qatar, which has now taken Iran's place." When fundraisers began operating in the U.S. to collect money for Hamas, "One of those fundraisers was Dr. Musa Abu Marzook, the number 2 man in Hamas. At the beginning of the 1990s, he began a fundraising campaign in the U.S. among wealthy Muslims, while at the same time founding several banking enterprises. He himself became a conglomerate of 10 financial enterprises giving loans and making financial investments." The U.S. arrested Marzook in 1995 and expelled him without trial in 1997. "In 2001, in the investigation of the September 11 events, it turned out that he had extensive financial connections with al-Qaeda, including the transfer of funds to the 21 al-Qaeda operatives accused of the attacks." Today, "Arab sources estimate his wealth at $2-3 billion," Elad says. "Estimates around the world are that [Khaled] Mashaal is currently worth $2.6 billion." "Most of the money that went into the pockets of people in the Gaza Strip was obtained through tunnel deals and the creation of a flourishing smuggling market, which it is believed has created several hundred millionaires in the Gaza Strip....The man pulling the strings from Egypt with the tunnels is none other than the number two man in the Muslim Brotherhood, Khairat el-Shater."
2014-07-27 00:00:00
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