New York, NY, July 27, 2004 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) praised the U.S. Justice Department for today's indictment against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, an organization long suspected of supporting terrorists by funneling money to Hamas.  The federal indictment named the Foundation and its top leaders in a conspiracy to provide aid to a terrorist organization and survivors of suicide terrorists.

"The Justice Department's indictment against the Holy Land Foundation and its leaders is a welcome development in the war against terror that clearly sends a message to those who seek to lend support or provide safe harbor for terrorists," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "It is shocking that a charity operating within the borders of the U.S. was able to take advantage of our freedoms by misleading the public and funneling money to groups like Hamas, as the indictment charges.  We praise the Justice Department for their thorough investigation into the activities of the Holy Land Foundation, which led to the revelations detailed in the indictment.

Among those named in the federal indictment were Shukri Abu Baker, the Foundation's president and chief executive, and Ghassan Elashi, the Foundation's chairman.  The indictment alleges the Holy Land Foundation aided 400 Islamic terrorists who had been deported by Israel from southern Lebanon in 1992 and paid for Hamas officials and radical sheiks to visit the United States.  Until it was shut down by the U.S. government in December 2001, Holy Land claimed to be the largest U.S. Muslim charity, with $4 million in assets.