Dallas, TX, May 27, 2009 ... The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today applauded the stiff sentences meted out to five former officers of the Holy Land Foundation by a federal judge in Dallas.  The five were found guilty last November of a number of serious terrorism-related charges, including providing material support to the terrorist organization Hamas.

"Your function in life was raising money to support Hamas," U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis told Shukri Abu Baker, 50, and Ghassan Elashi, 55, as he handed down the sentences in a Dallas courtroom against the two defendants and three others.

Two former leaders of the Holy Land Foundation were each sentenced to 65 years in prison, and fined $12.4 million.

Mark L. Briskman, ADL Dallas Regional Director, issued the following statement:

The stiff sentences handed down today mark the culmination of a long effort by investigators and prosecutors to bring these key supporters of Hamas to justice.

It is clear that this jurist is a no-nonsense judge who gets it. The implication of this trial is significant, and the sentencing handed down by the judge indicates that seriousness. The judge made it clear that those who seek to fund terrorism in this country will ultimately pay a heavy price for their actions.

We commend the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the jury and the judge for their tenacity and their persistence, and congratulate them for demonstrating that the American justice system can effectively punish terrorism supporters.  We hope today's sentences will also serve as a meaningful deterrent for others who might otherwise seek to follow in HLF's misguided footsteps.

ADL has published a number of reports on the Holy Land Foundation, U.S. groups that joined together to support the Holy Land Foundation, and on Hamas.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.