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Home Front
FBI Sent Hamas Money in Clinton Days
2003-10-06
Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot
EFL
While President Clinton was trying to broker an elusive peace between Israelis and Palestinians, the FBI was secretly funneling money to suspected Hamas figures to see if the militant group would use it for terrorist attacks, according to interviews and court documents.
If this is true, it's the most dumbass thing I've ever heard of the FBI doing. I tend to doubt it...
The counterterrorism operation in 1998 and 1999 was run out of the FBI’s Phoenix office in cooperation with Israeli intelligence and was approved by Attorney General Janet Reno, FBI officials told The Associated Press. Several thousand dollars in U.S. money was sent to suspected terror supporters during the operation as the FBI tried to track the flow of cash through terror organizations, the FBI said in a rare acknowledgment of an undercover sting that never resulted in prosecutions.
That's better. It's like putting dye into the system when you go to get CAT scanned...
Posted by:Yosemite Sam

#9  It's true to an extent, but Hamas in the 70's and 80's was just the local branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. They were generally peaceful, although Islamist obviously, and were opposed to the PLO and the leftist elements within it.
It wasn't until the outbreak of the first Intifada in the late 80's that the Muslim Brotherhood decided that the time was right to begin using violence, and thus Hamas began initially attacking Palestinian 'collaborators' and Israeli soldiers. This was before Oslo was signed with the PLO.
Posted by: Paul Moloney   2003-10-7 12:25:02 AM  

#8  Not that surprised by the allegation that Clinton gave money to hamas. Since we are on this topic, could someone enlighten me as to the the other allegation that Israel suported Hamas in the 70s and 80s, mainly to counterbalance Arafat's PLO and provide an alternative to the Palestinians. Have only seen some references to it, and please a balanced response would be appreciated.
Posted by: Igs   2003-10-6 9:54:09 PM  

#7  Oh god, it's that Phoenix office again. They are under investigation for agents setting up their own companies and doing business with China and the Middle East.
Posted by: Steve   2003-10-6 9:31:29 PM  

#6  they "love you long time Joe"
Posted by: Frank G   2003-10-6 8:34:49 PM  

#5  From the AP article:

Ellen testified the operation ended abruptly in early 1999 when he and Williams had a series of disagreements over the operation, disputes that began when Ellen angered the FBI by having an affair with a Chinese woman suspected of espionage.

What is it with Chinese women spies?!!
Posted by: Tokyo Taro   2003-10-6 7:24:47 PM  

#4  WTF is right -- you mean Janet Reno did something sensible?
Posted by: Steve White   2003-10-6 7:05:01 PM  

#3  Apparently, the intent of the operation was to determine if and how money flows into terrorist operations. If there's anything worth faulting, it's that the operation could not be maintained over a longer period of time so that more data could be gathered and analyzed.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2003-10-6 5:26:22 PM  

#2  I assumed that they used the Scientific Method in this little goatrope experiment..
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2003-10-6 5:24:27 PM  

#1  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is right! ro'Clinton definitely DID derelict his duty.
Posted by: Atrus   2003-10-6 5:19:09 PM  

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