Israel gave major to aid to Hamas http://www.vny.com/cf/News/upidetail.cfm?QID=162747
Saturday, 24 February 2001 11:28 (ET)
Israel gave major to aid to Hamas By RICHARD SALE, Terrorism Correspondent
NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, speaking of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas recently described it as "the deadliest terrorist group that we have ever had to face."
Active in Gaza and the West Bank Hamas wants to liberate all of Palestine and establish a radical Islamic state in place of Israel. It has gained notoriety with its assassinations, car bombs and other acts of terrorism.
But Sharon had left something out.
Israel and Hamas may currently be locked in deadly combat, but, according to several current and former U.S. intelligence officials, beginning in the late 1970s, Tel Aviv gave direct and indirect financial aid to Hamas over a period of years.
Israel "aided Hamas directly -- the Israelis wanted to use it as a counterbalance to the PLO," said Tony Cordesman, Middle East analyst for the Center for Strategic Studies.
Israel's support for Hamas "was a direct attempt to divide and dilute support for a strong, secular PLO by using a competing religious alternative," said a former senior CIA official.
According to documents obtained from the Israel-based Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT) by UPI, Hamas evolved from cells of the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928. (...) -----------------------------
Hakki Alacakaptan
|| -----Original Message-----
|| From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
|| [mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of James Heartfield
||
|| In message
|| <NEBBLFAOEKFDFJCKOHILMEACCJAA.nucleus at superonline.com>, Hakki
|| Alacakaptan <nucleus at superonline.com> writes
||
|| quoting
||
|| >Paul Vanden Baviere
||
|| >Hamas initially
|| >nevertheless received Israel's support
||
|| I remember hearing this before, but never found any published evidence.
|| Does anyone have any more supporting references?
||
|| --
|| James Heartfield
||