In response to the mistrial in the U.S. government's case against the Holy Land Foundation (HLF), long suspected of supporting terrorists by funneling money to Hamas, supporters of the charity portrayed the outcome as a victory over Israeli efforts to meddle in internal U.S. affairs and argued that the case was part of an anti-Muslim agenda promoted by Israeli interests.   

Before the trial ended, representatives of several leading American Muslim community organizations and critics of Israel argued that the trial amounted to a "political witch-hunt" led by the U.S. government on behalf of Israel.  In statements made after the trial, these critics continued to condemn the prosecution for doing Israel's bidding while also portraying the defendants as American patriots motivated by a desire to secure justice for the Palestinians. 

Some of the critics have argued that the trial had a religious aspect, claiming that it was an attack against both the U.S. - its Constitution, its values, and its interests - and against Muslims and the religious obligation to give charity.  Such statements often cite Israel as the hidden hand behind this alleged assault.

The following are examples of the how some HLF supporters have used the trial to propagate anti-Israel conspiracy theories:

• November 7, 2007: In an article in Southern California InFocus, a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-affiliated publication, CAIR chairman Parvez Ahmed described the HLF trial as a "classic case of guilt by association and a political vendetta against American citizens to carry out the agenda of a special interest group – the Israel Lobby."
• November 7, 2007: The Muslim Observer, a nationally distributed weekly newspaper, featured an article by its editor Aslam Abdullah claiming that the HLF mistrial "proves that Israel is willing to do anything to secure its interests - even if that means concocting evidence or using the U.S. judicial system to its advantage." The article, which also criticizes the Bush Administration, claims that "the victory of HLF…is a defeat of racist bigots and the perpetrators of injustice."
• October 27, 2007: Ahmad al-Akhras, CAIR's vice-chairman, published an article in the Saudi online publication, Arab News, titled: "HLF Case: An Israeli Trial Conducted on American Soil." In the article, al-Akhras argued that the trial was an attempt "to chill the First Amendment rights and charitable giving of American Muslims and other people opposed to our nation's one-sided policies in the Middle East. In essence, this was an Israeli trial tried on American soil in which guilt by association was used as a substitute for actual evidence."
• October 24, 2007: CAIR chairman Parvez Ahmed, wrote in his Blog: "The case against HLF was a political witch-hunt that had nothing to do with America's security. The closure of HLF appears to be an attempt to block humanitarian assistance to some of the most impoverished people in the world - Palestinians living under Israel's Apartheid-like occupation." According to Ahmed, the case was also an attack on the Muslim community's religious practice and an affront to Muslims' sense of justice. He wrote: "Muslims raised funds to pay for the defense of HLF and will continue to do so… so that they can fulfill their God-given obligation [to give charity]."
• October 22, 2007: Khalil Meek, a board member of CAIR in Texas and the primary spokesman for the Hungry for Justice (HFJ) coalition that formed to support HLF, stated in response to the mistrial that "this was an Israeli trial tried on American soil." HFJ also released a statement calling the charges "politically-motivated."
• October 18, 2007: The anti-Israel publication, Counterpunch, featured an article by the director of anti-Israel group, Deir Yassin Remembered, Kristoffer Larson, in which he claimed that "Zionists" are "creating fear of Muslim fundamentalism" and that "the trial against the HLF is just one example of how Israelis are the ones persecuting Muslim organizations in America." Published before the conclusion of the trial, the article claimed: "the Zionists have the upper hand, and going to the bottom with cases like this is close to impossible. They provide the evidence, and not much can be done to prove them wrong."
• October 2, 2007: Beth Freed, media contact for the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), a member organization of HFJ, published an article in her Blog in which she claimed that "Israel clearly had its fingers all up in the Holy Land Foundation trial….the tentacles of politically manipulative fingers reach further than most of us can fathom." She referred to Texas as "the heartland of Zion support."
• August 23, 2007: In a letter to the editor of the Star-Telegram, Kassem Elkhalil, a Dallas-based activist, wrote: "The Holy Land Foundation trial is a political trial on behalf of Israel in an American court…the majority of the media outlets and most politicians prefer the indignity of acting like a crowd of timid foot-kissers for the Israeli lobby."
• August 20, 2007: Ghassan Elashi, one of the defendants in the HLF trial, yelled in the courtroom: "this trial is an extension of a Zionist conspiracy," during a break, according to a newspaper account.