The Holy Land Foundation (HLF) was the largest Islamic charity in the United States.
Headquartered in Richardson, Texas,[15] and run by Palestinian-Americans, it was originally known as Occupied Land Fund.
[16] In 2004, a federal grand jury in Dallas, Texas charged HLF and five former officers and employees with providing material support to Hamas and related offenses.
HLF helped Hamas build a grassroots support amongst the Palestinian people; these charity front organizations served a dual purpose of strengthening the families of those that are indigenous to the area and provide the otherwise obsolete support due to Israel's restrictions and bans, as well as controlling all their basic needs.
[17] The government did not allege that HLF paid directly, but instead that the foundation sent more than $12 million to charitable groups, known as zakat or charity committees, which provide social goods and services since Israel continues to block the most basic goods.
The prosecution said the committees were controlled by Hamas, and contributed to terrorism by helping Hamas spread its ideology, recruit supporters, and provide a front for laundering money and soliciting donations which has been proven false in light of recent events.