EU court clears Aqsa foundation of terror charges

EU court clears Aqsa foundation of terror charges

A European Union court ruled Thursday that the EU acted illegally when freezing the assets of the Aqsa charity foundation’s Holland branch.

The foundation is a charity organization that collects funds to support needy Palestinians.

Holland took measures against the branch in April, 2003 under suspicion of funding Mideast “terrorist organizations” with monies collected for humanitarian purposes.

As a result of the those measures, the EU blacklisted the foundation in June of the same year and froze its assets in all EU states. But judges saw that because Holland’s ruling was abolished in August of the same year, the EU decision based on it no longer had a legal justification.

A court spokesman said if the EU states wish to continue in the decision they must search for “better grounds” or cancel.

The Aqsa foundation is an active charity organization that supports humanitarian organizations in Palestinian territories occupied in 1948, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.