An Israeli Arab dentist has been indicted for transferring thousands of shekels on behalf of Hamas, Israel’s internal security agency announced late Tuesday. Malik Khatib, 31, of Kafr Kana, was arrested in April, but all details were subject to a court gag-order until then. The indictment was filed the same day.
According to reports in Israeli media, Khatib was involved in transferring funds to and from Hamas, between Palestinian Authority controlled areas of Judea and Samaria and the Hamas controlled Gaza. At the time of his arrest, Khatib was in possession of NIS 170,000 ($43,380). He had been previously warned by police to avoid such actions, but he persisted.
Khatib denied the allegations in court. “I have no connection to Hamas, I have no connection to any of the allegations – everything is a lie. I had no contact with Hamas. I don’t know how they came up with these things,” Ynet quoted him as saying. Khatib’s attorneys claim he was transferring money to Palestinian residents of Judea and Samaria who work in Israel.
The security agency, known as the Shin Bet, says differently. They maintain Khatib confessed during questioning to having transferred cash on behalf of a Hamas official in Gaza. He also admitted to routinely driving Palestinians who lack entry permits from Gaza to Israel.
The indictment reads, “In light of the restriction of funding transfers from Israel to the Gaza Strip and vice versa, Hamas has used a tactic by which it uses Israeli citizens to transfer funds from Israel to the West Bank. Among other things, the Israelis would pick up funds from undocumented immigrants working in Israel and transfer them to Hamas members in the West Bank.”
The Shin Bet alleges Khatib was working with a Hamas member named Samir Turk, also known as “Abu Faruq,” who is recognized as a “money man” for the terrorist organization in Gaza. Khatib is said to have made five such transfers, earning himself NIS 1,000 (about $258) for each job. The funds would be split between the organization itself and families of illegal immigrants living in Gaza, at a rate determined by Hamas.
Jamil Khatib, Malik’s father, said: “This is an inflated file. My son is a successful dentist and everyone knows him. He just transferred money to the families in the West Bank of people who work in Israel and not to Hamas. It is true the police warned him and asked him not to continue transferring funds to the West Bank, but he continued to do so because he was sure he was not breaking the law.”
The indictment was submitted to the Nazareth District Court, charging Khatib for unauthorized contact with a foreign agent, transferring money for terrorism purposes, transporting illegal aliens and fraud.
The Shin Bet also stated, “This illustrates the relentless efforts of Hamas to transfer large sums of money, which are intended to promote the organization’s activities in Judea and Samaria.”
