Israel files to quash testimony in Bank of China terrorism case
With eye on ties with Beijing, government cites ‘national security’ as reason for move in case against Chinese bank sued for allegedly funding Palestinian terror groups
It would be a big mistake if Israel didn’t allow this guy to testify. If China is found guilty they should pay the consequences. Israel should not prostitute herself for some trade. It would be a mockery of justice and the rule of law. Ted Belman
JERUSALEM — Israel has been struggling to decide on whether to
participate in a U.S. court case in which China was linked to Hamas.
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has to decide within
days whether to allow a former official to testify in a suit against Bank of
China.
Bank-of-China-Sued-For-Aiding-Terrorist-Massacre-of-High-School-Students-in-IsraelUzi Shaya was summoned to support the suit by Israeli families in a U.S. district court in New York on Nov. 25.
Netanyahu, who for decades urged the international community to tighten restrictions on Hamas and other insurgency groups, has not responded to the request by the Israeli families.
Israeli government sources said China has warned of economic repercussions should Jerusalem work against Bank of China.
“In light of my moral and national obligation and my commitment to the
war on terror, I am inclined to give a deposition,” Shaya wrote to attorneys
for the plaintiffs. “However, thus far, the state of Israel has not yet
formulated its final position on the matter.”
The suit was brought by 22 Israeli families who charge the Bank of China
with helping Hamas transfer money through the United States. Shaya was
identified as being part of an Israeli government delegation in Beijing in
2005 that urged a halt to services given by the Chinese bank to Hamas.
“This may be the only person who really has the knowledge as to what
transpired at the meeting,” U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin said
in a hearing in July 2013.
The suit, the brainchild of the Israeli intelligence community in 2007,
charges Bank of China with helping transfer of money to
both Hamas and the Iranian-sponsored Islamic Jihad. Both groups have been
deemed the leading planners of suicide bombings against Israel and appear on
the State Department list of terrorist groups.
In 2009, a Netanyahu aide, identified as Shlomo Matalon, submitted an
affidavit that detailed Bank of China’s dealings with Hamas and Jihad. The
sworn statement said Israel had urged Beijing to stop the transactions.
But in April 2013 Bank of China told the U.S. court that Shaya would not
testify. The organizer of the suit, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of the
Israel Law Center, recalled that she telephoned Israeli officials, including
those in the intelligence community, to explain their reversal.
“I told them ‘You caused us to reach an insane situation,’ ” Ms.
Darshan-Leitner recalled. “And they told me, ‘You think that if you raise
your voice it will help?’ ”
“The Israeli government asked us through our lawyers to bring this case
and provided relevant evidence,” said Yekutiel Wultz, whose son Daniel was
killed in a 2006 bombing by Jihad.
Laura Said:
Agreed, but the same is true of the US. However, yes men do not breed respect.
Laura Said:
One does not have to choose one instead of the other necessarily. It’s a question of spreading risk, of not putting all eggs in one basket. The US govt support of Israel has been eroded. There appears to be an orchestrated campaign of years to rearrange the people’s psyche and perspective. Jews went through this in the most liberal country in Europe and some things rearing their head today appear to be well-organized and possible worse. Right now Israel has little respect from the US govt elite. People tend not to respect their own yes men. Perhaps more independence would bring more respect. Egypt is already getting more respect as a result of slapping Obama, Clinton and Kerry’s face. Granted Israel does not yet have the GCC money behind it but I would bet the GCC rulers will be investing in israeli funds. In any case Israel is strong enough to demonstrate some independence of thought. It has been an US poodle to be kicked around too long. Also, the timing is good to trot out the obama scandals and bring him down, he is losing mmomentum with his own supporters. Its good to kick someone when their down if you want to win.
One would have to be foolish not to understand the consumptive power of the future China. This power has been orchestrated by the US elite ins search of more money from 1.5 billion instead of 350 million. Israel must see which way the wind is blowing. even if the US regains stature it can never return to its past dominance in the face of the rich behemoth rising. Everyone should be afraid of when the elephant rolls over now that it has been given power by the west.
Some Israpundit commenters have advocated closer relations with China in place of America. You may want to rethink that. I don’t see how replacing one form of submission to a world power with another will improve Israel’s standing. And China is far more ruthless than the US government.
I agree, but kowtowing to the Chinese contradicts this goal.
Israeli self-respect and independence are more important than relations with China.
If it was your family you would feel differently.
This is in keeping with your typical cold-blooded attitude toward the suffering of others.
yamit82 Said:
Works all manner of relationships, now take my husband, pleasse. A little Hennie Youngman to start the day.
@ yamit82:
An objective re-analysis of this tells me you may be right and that my assumptions may well be wrong. If I could be certain that Netanyahu would would stop acting like Obama’s cringing Israeli stooge, that would confirm the point you raised here.
I would not want Israel to subsume its interests in order to please any foreign overlords whatsoever, whether they be American, West European, Russian, or Chinese. If our Jewish nation is to maintain its self-respect, or rebuild it to the extent that it has been lost because of the weak-knee politicians elected to power in Israel, then we must treat all the goyim by the same Jewish standards.
But never forget that Israel must work endlessly to build the power base of the Jewish nation. Otherwise, the calculus of these relationships with others will never change for us.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
@ bernard ross:
@ honeybee:
@ bernard ross:
I agree with all of the above. Arnold there are many kinds of strength and power not all material or military. In the Jewish wars the Romans showed the Jews no respect because most didn’t fight and hid out. That allowed a pretty easy roman victory for them. In the Bar-kochba revolt The Jews may have lost but they gained the respect of Rome and were treated much better afterwards. Being respected and feared is more productive than selling out for temporary small gains. Little Judea gave Rome a hard time in fact it actually bankrupted them and The Parthian Empire did take notice and began to push back Rome legions bit by bit. Rome ceased to expand after the Jewish Wars. We were mainly responsible for the downfall of Rome and the Soviet Union. Not Bad. One could say the Jews are Empire Busters….
If BB stands up to China maybe it will give him confidence to stand up to Obama???? 🙂
ArnoldHarris Said:
Kowtowing to chinese threats at the start of the relationship will bring disrespect and dishonor from the chinese(not everyone thinks in terms of money). They will see that Israel has nothing yet from China to risk but is already willing to lie down and spread its legs for something they don’t yet even have, for vague future possibilities that as are yet unpromised. HMMM??? sounds similar to the iran situation. It will set the modus operandi for future Israeli sino relations. The Chinese will not respect a willing whore, it will backfire.
BB backing out of the support of the terror victims families after encouraging them originally to file suit demonstrates an unprincipled whore. The chinese will deal with Israel like they would deal with an unprincipled whore. Not claiming the principle of the legality of Jewish settlement in YS has succeeded in bringing down on Israel a plague of myths and libels. Principles, and the lack thereof, do have repercussions. The “pittance” you describe shows that you appear to only understand the power of money and not the power of principles; which is one of the Jewish stereotypes.
The chinese have no interest in Israel but their own interests and nothing more; and they will follow those interests regardless of the suit.
You’re all wrong as far as I’m concerned.
Stable and growing relations with China are far more significant than whatever pittances can be collected by families of victims of this or that act of Arab terrorism. This is especially so, now that the global outreach of the American empire is obviously dissolving around the world, including the Middle East.
Nor will I lie to any of you and tell you that my key concern is justice for the victims. I think the only justice that does anything for the Jewish nation is victory over not only the Arabs but also all the goyim who have victimized the Jewish nation during the past 3000 years. There is no substitute for national strength, without which there can be no such victory or full independence for the Jewish state.
I have no interest whatsoever in legal actions. Instead, my focus is fixed upon whatever steps the Jewish nation can take to increase its real power against enemies near and far. My view of this national struggle among the nations is that all actions must be viewed in terms of their effects upon the our particular nation, that of the Jews as a whole.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
@ yamit82:
@ bernard ross:
Sue the bastards!!!!!!!! I am going out tonight for a fancy anniverery party, instead of the usual bucket of chichen and bisquets and John Wayne DVD
Once again BB sells out jewish terror victims…and the question is for what????????????????????
Is all his policy based on not upsetting gentiles, is that all he has?
I agree. It would allow BB some small measure of redemption for the release of murderers of Jews. Doing the right thing should not be weighed against threats and blackmail even if it costs us in the short run. China could be bluffing but even if they aren’t they will respect us more if we cooperate in the suit against them, maybe not today or tomorrow but down the road.