Haaretz: Arab Countries Provide More Support to Hamas than Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that the funds released to Iran from the nuclear deal are "greasing the wheels" of Iran-supported "terror machines." However, Haaretz reports that the majority of financial support for Palestinian resistance groups comes not from Iran, but from other countries. Netanyahu stated in an online speech this week that "even if Iran allocates ten percent of its half a trillion dollars in revenue over the next 10 to 15 years to terrorism, Iran-backed groups will become a terrorist superpower." Since the comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 countries was reached on July 14, Netanyahu has been a leading opponent of the deal. Amos Harel, a Middle East expert at Haaretz, noted that more money reaches armed groups in Gaza from countries like Qatar and Turkey than from the Iranian government. In an article titled "The ATM of Terror is Not Only in Iran," Harel wrote that the Israeli military intelligence is aware that Arab countries provide more assistance to Hamas than Iran does. According to the report, the Emirate of Qatar provides significantly more financial support to Hamas and organizations active in Gaza, ranking as the top supporter of the Palestinians. Haaretz states that a foundation established by the Emir of Qatar, with a budget of $100 million aimed at rebuilding Gaza, channels funds through Hamas-affiliated entities due to Hamas's practical control over Gaza. Haaretz also notes that Qatar has maintained good relations with Israel in recent years, and its representative for Gaza reconstruction is a trusted individual from the Emir, who regularly visits Gaza with the knowledge and permission of the Israeli government. Israel is aware that part of Qatar's funds is used to strengthen Hamas's capabilities in both Gaza and the West Bank. The report states that Turkey has also become a significant hub for Hamas operatives in recent years, with Salah al-Arouri, a Hamas leader, and his deputy residing in Istanbul, where various Turkish entities actively support Hamas. Harel cites investigations by Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, regarding two Palestinians who recently received "military training" in a camp half an hour from Istanbul. After this was revealed, Turkey's security agency requested Hamas to scale back its activities in Istanbul for the time being. Haaretz also reports that many charitable contributions from Europe reach the people of Gaza through Hamas or are invested in various institutions in the region. It notes that Hamas leaders confirm that Iranian support for Hamas has significantly decreased since the organization's disagreements with Iran over Syria and has recently stopped altogether. Khaled Mashal, head of Hamas's political bureau, has recently visited Saudi Arabia twice, even meeting with King Salman. According to the report, Israeli security agencies are aware that Kazem Suwalih, a Palestinian from the West Bank with British citizenship, plays an active role in raising funds for Palestinian organizations in Britain. Haaretz states that some of these funds collected from Europe reach Hamas's military branch, and a significant amount of money is sent to Palestinian militants through "quail" that are dispatched from Jordan to Palestinian areas. Haaretz writes that Israeli intelligence and security agencies provide substantial information about these individuals' activities in Europe to their European counterparts, but the governments of these Israel-friendly countries show little enthusiasm for meeting Israel's demands. The report adds that Iran's policy of supporting its allied organizations is not directly related to the nuclear agreement, as Iran continued to support Hezbollah, Syria, and its desired Middle Eastern organizations even during the toughest financial sanctions due to its nuclear program, with Hezbollah's rocket arsenal in Lebanon being funded by Iran with over 100,000 rockets.