Israel closes Hamas-linked shopping mall

The Israeli army on Tuesday ordered the closure of a shopping mall in the West Bank, saying the company that runs it is linked to Hamas, Palestinian security officials and witnesses said.

Computers, furniture and documents were seized in the pre-dawn raid on Al-I'itiman Investment Co in the city of Nablus's only mall, with soldiers posting a closure notice.

After August 15, anyone running a store in the five-storey mall which has dozens of shops "could face five years in jail," the order reads.

A military spokesman said the army was acting "against charitable organizations acting on behalf of Hamas."

He charged that the organizations sought to strengthen the Islamist movement, "to encourage terrorist attacks against Israel," and "to give financial support to terrorism infrastructure."

Directors of Al-I'itiman were not available for comment on the accusations.

Nablus mayor Jamal Muheissen slammed the closure, saying the "mall belongs to the people and not to Hamas, and it operates in accordance with Palestinian Authority regulations."

Many of the shopkeepers staged a march in Nablus to protest the action.

But an Israeli security source claimed that the "profits generated by these boutiques are used to sponsor terrorism."

Soldiers also searched the offices of several charitable organizations in the Nablus area, Palestinian officials said.