Spitzer Applauds President's Action On Holy Land Foundation

Attorney General Spitzer today applauded President Bush's action to freeze the assets of the Holy Land Foundation. Israel has accused the Dallas-based group of helping to fund Hamas.

In a July, 1999 letter, Spitzer asked the I.R.S. to investigate the group's fund raising activities . In September of 2000, Spitzer subpoenaed Holy Land's records.

"The President today should be applauded for taking strong and decisive action. Over a year ago, my office launched an investigation into Holy Land's activities in New York to determine whether its fund raising was being used to support Hamas; our investigation continues. We now look forward to providing any assistance we can to the federal government."

In its registration papers, HLF stated that its purpose is "helping needy families for all mankind" and that contributions are designated for "orphan sponsorship, education, and humanitarian aid." There have been allegations that HLF uses its funds to support the families of suicide bombers.

Holy Land initially refused to comply with the Attorney General's subpoena of its records. In May of this year, Spitzer's office went to court to force the group to turn over its records and over the summer, the group complied with the subpoena.

As Attorney General, Spitzer oversees all charitable groups that raise funds in New York.