(Jerusalem Post) Arieh O'Sullivan - Intelligence officials on Sunday dismissed claims by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas that no Saudi funding reached terrorist groups. Senior intelligence officials noted that Saudi Arabia is siding with what they call the "axis of evil" made up of Iran, Syria, and Hizballah which is striving to make the peace process fail. "Some 60 percent of the annual Hamas budget, between $12 million to $14 million, comes from Saudi Arabia," one intelligence source said. Officials said the money flowed to charities, and also found its way to the Hamas military wing and the families of suicide bombers. They noted, however, that this money was mostly from non-governmental organizations. It was not smuggled in, for the most part, rather openly relayed through banks. Nevertheless, said the official, it was difficult to halt.
2003-08-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive