Shurat Hadin warns Finance Minister over banks which refuse to sever ties with the PA.
Bank HaPoalim and Discount Bank recently announced that they would sever their ties with PA banks for fear of exposure to legal proceedings in respect of aid to finance terrorism. Palestinian banks work closely with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the PLO, give millions of dollars each year in salaries to terrorist prisoners and their families, financial assistance to families of suicide bombers, and salary payments to government officials who work with Hamas. These activities fall under the umbrella term of “financing terrorism.”
Other banks have yet to follow suit, however – and Shurat HaDin’s Nitsana Darshan-Leitner warned Kahlon not to provide collateral of indemnity to those banks who choose to stay in touch with their PA counterparts.
“Any encouragement or support, to be provided by the state, by the Ministry of Finance, by you or by anyone acting on your behalf, to any Israeli or international bank which continues engagement with Palestinian banks – or, even moreso, guarantee indemnification protection from lawsuits against terrorism – could bring the persons concerned to breach of provisions, including the prohibition of monetary terrorism, the illegal prohibition of money laundering, the Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism Prevention Ordinances as well as US anti-terror laws,” Darshan-Leitner stated.
“Breaking these laws exposes the banks, and anyone assisting them to these activities in any way, criminal proceedings on behalf of the authorities and/or civil lawsuits from victims of terrorism and their families, in Israel and abroad,” she continued.
“It is inconceivable that the State of Israel sponsors activities supporting terrorism, and provides collateral to Israeli banks from criminal proceedings with terror groups.”
“Continued engagement with Palestinian banks can be done only under the clear and detailed commitment of the Palestinian banks to stop transfers to terrorist organizations, including Palestinian prisoners, families of suicide bombers, or officers of Hamas in Gaza,” she concluded. “All other contracts are unlawful.”
I am very happy to see that Darshan-Leitner, a very competent lawfare expert, is finally bringing the lawfare to Israel where most anti semitic and BDS canards originate and are facilitate. I will be ecstatic when she sues the GOI for estoppel and mandamus for the illegal obstruction of jews settling in YS contrary to the LON mandate and all natural law. She should sue to force the gov to institute an affirmative action program to mitigate the damage caused by the obstruction by the GOI, Jordan and the Brits in the past. A massive jewish settlement program giving free land grants to diaspora Jews to settle in YS. In order to avoid the GC which obfuscates the issue to being one of occupation, the jews should be from the diaspora and not given citizenship prior to settling. In this way Israel would be acting similarly to the british mandate as a trustee facilitating the prime directive to settle jews rather than obstructing that prime directive. I am confident that she can prove the legality and legitimacy of Jewish settlement in YS while avoiding the obfuscating canard that Israel violates the GC by settling its nationals.