Debbie Schlussel: Holy Land Trial Wraps Up: Will HAMAS Money Launderers Get Their Due?
This week, the jury in the ongoing trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development begins deliberations. Will they let these HAMAS money launderers go free?
That depends on whether they believe the feds did a good job laying out their case. And given that the feds did not even want to indict Holy Land Foundation until principled FBI Special Agent Robert Wright courageously forced their hands (in an appearance on an ABC News interview with Brian Ross) in their ongoing mamby pamby reticence to go after terrorists charities, the Justice Department didn't really have its heart in getting these terrorist financiers from the get-go.
I hope the jury makes the right decision. If not, we can expect the charity to reconstitute and $12 million more to freely go to financing homicide bombings and the families of "martyrs" in the Middle East.
Sadly, as I and Carl in Jerusalem noted, a former U.S. State Department diplomat in Israel (P.L.O. lobbyist Edward Abington) and an equally evil former U.S. Congressman (John Bryant) testified on behalf of the Holy Land Foundation, claiming it's not HAMAS, when we know that it is (and DoJ did little to counter them). It was financed in part by Musa Abu Marzook, the political director of HAMAS, and run by his family. If John Gotti financed something, I think we'd be safe in saying it was a Gambino family operation.
But jurors aren't always safe. They're often stupid and clones of those who served under Judge Ito for O.J. And Justice Dept. prosecutors are often inept bores who glaze juries' eyes over, as reports say happened in this case. Let's hope the glaze doesn't cloud good judgment.
If the prosecutors lose this case, it's no biggie for them. They work for the government, and they're here to help you. Merely on to the next case for them.
But for America, the decision in this case is monumental. Our safety and security depends on it. If the United States of American loses in this case, Muslim terrorists will be laughing all the way to the bank . . . via charities on our soil.
Posted by Debbie on September 17, 2007 04:20 PM to Debbie Schlussel