American Charged With Aiding Hamas
An Arab-American was charged in an Israeli court Thursday with activism on behalf of the militant Islamic group Hamas, the main target of Israel’s expulsion of 415 Palestinians to Lebanon in December.
An army spokeswoman said that Mohammed Jarad, from Chicago, who appeared in a military court in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, was charged “with activism in a hostile organization and carrying out services for that organization.”
Jarad was one of three Palestinian-Americans detained in January for alleged links to Hamas. Israel said Sunday it had detained a fourth Arab-American as a suspected Hamas activist.
Officials have backed away from a highly public initial attempt to portray Jarad and detainee Mohammed Salah, also of Chicago, as senior liaison men between Hamas activists and what was called the “Hamas command” in the United States.
Jarad is the only one of the four to have been charged. One of them was freed by a military court last month.
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