DALLAS, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of KINDER-USA, a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt organization, decided to file for a dismissal of the defamation lawsuit against Yale University Press, the Washington Institute for Near East Peace and Matthew Levitt (as of August 9, 2007). This decision was based on KINDER-USA's desire to focus on the urgent humanitarian crisis in Palestine, realizing that the court case, due to the limitations of California's anti-SLAPP statute, would be a drain on the organizations resources and efforts. KINDER-USA reaffirms that it has always been and continues to be an independent, American-based Muslim charity, which raises funds exclusively for humanitarian purposes. KINDER-USA is not a successor to any other organization. The Board and staff of KINDER-USA takes extraordinary care to ensure that the funds it raises are used exclusively for charitable and humanitarian purposes.

The Board of Directors of KinderUSA continues to believe that the statements made by Matthew Levitt in his book "Hamas" regarding our foundation are grossly inaccurate.

Our decision to withdraw the lawsuit was based on an assessment of our financial situation; because the needs of the Palestinian children are so great at this time, we decided to expend our resources in terms of time and energy on alleviating the desperate situation of our beneficiaries instead of on costly legal fees that would have ensued as this case proceeded.

This resolution is not satisfying to anyone with a sense of justice but it does safeguard the funds KINDER-USA urgently needs to fulfill its mission. With the ongoing blockade of Gaza, humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian children and their families continues with over 80% of the Gazan population reliant on outside food aid. Chronic malnutrition affects over 10% of children under the age of five in all of the occupied Palestinian territories, while in Gaza over 50,000 children are reported malnourished with more than 70% of 9-months old anemic. While families are being drip fed aid, over 10,000 children die each year mostly from preventable diseases and poor care for newborns.

SOURCE KINDER-USA
08/17/2007 07:13