Treasury Designates PIJ Charity

By Matthew Levitt

Treasury Designates PIJ Charity

The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated the Elehssan Society as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity yesterday, revealing that the society served as a charitable front for Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). "Elehssan masquerades as a charity, while actually helping to finance Palestinian Islamic Jihad's acts of terror against the Israeli people and other innocents," said Stuart Levey, Treasury's Under Secretary for the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI). PIJ has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the U.S. Government and is also named on the European Union and Australian lists of terrorist entities.

PIJ recently claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in Tel-Aviv that killed five and wounded over 50. Evidence available to the U.S. Government corroborates that PIJ, based in Damascus, Syria, was implicated in planning the attacks. PIJ leadership there controls all PIJ officials, activists and terrorists in the West Bank and Gaza, according to a significant volume of information available to the U.S. Government.

In addition to its use as a financial conduit, Elehssan is used by PIJ to recruit for its operational cadre. In early 2003, Elehssan planned to open a youth center to recruit and train PIJ operatives and support PIJ terrorist activity. United States government analysts believe that the absence of a PIJ youth center in certain locations was regarded as one reason behind the lack of PIJ activity in those areas. Elehssan also solicitied funds through Internet websites featuring PIJ information on PIJ leaders and claims of responsibility for terrorist acts.

This action marks the 400th individual or entity designated under Executive Order 13224, President Bush's Order aimed at freezing the assets of terrorists and their support networks.

For more on PIJ see "Sponsoring Terrorism: Syria and Islamic Jihad" or �Hamas and Islamic Jihad Clash over �Media Jihad�."

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