In an interview with Calcalist, terror financing expert Matthew Levitt said that there are effective ways to deal with Hamas' terror funding, including direct and indirect sanctions, as well as ending Hamas' power to tax or steal humanitarian aid as the governing body of Gaza.
Matthew Levitt, Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and expert on terror finance, provided an unexpectedly optimistic picture when it comes to fighting Hamas financing in an interview to Calcalist, especially compared with Calcalist's previous talks with Israeli officials involved in stopping the flow of money to Hamas.
Levitt reminds readers that even if Hamas has significant assets that have not or cannot be seized, counter-terror efforts have made it very hard for Hamas to withdraw or use that money. Furthermore, Levitt says that sometimes it's best to leave the money alone to learn how it's used and thus gain more intelligence on the organization itself.
Levitt also added another source of finance not mentioned in previous Calcalist discussions on terror finance - Hamas' power as the governing body of Gaza to collect taxes, exact protection money, and steal humanitarian aid.
The amounts they get from this alone are substantial and entirely in their control, so Israel's goal of collapsing Hamas' military and governing capabilities would go far in hurting the organization's finances and increasing its dependence on outside sources, which are easier to intercept and interdict.
