Mercaz Harav victims sue Chinese bank: transferred funds to Hamas

A civil lawsuit was filed today (Tues.) in New York Against the 'Bank of China', one of the four largest banks in China, for alleged responsibility for the attack which occurred at Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav in Jerusalem in 2008, which killed eight students and wounded nine others.

Families of the victims filed the claim with the organization "Shurat Hadin". According to the organization, it holds evidence that the Bank transferred to Hamas huge sums over the years that preceded the attack.

According to the lawsuit, the collaboration included the transfer of funds from various accounts, some accounts from Syria, through the New York branch of the Bank, for an account under the name "Sharafa", and another account of a Hamas activist in the Gaza Strip. In this way, it is argued, there is evidence of money transfers estimated in millions of dollars in total.

According to the organization, the claim is based in part on the testimony of former security and intelligence officials. The organization also accuses that the money transfers were made in the bank's knowledge of the destiny. Therefore, the families and the organization decided to file a suit against the Bank in the United States.

"Financial organizations act innocent saying they did not know and had no responsibility," said attorney Nitzana Darshan-Leitner today, representing the plaintiffs, "but the reality proved otherwise. Western banks have been sued, some are in legal proceedings, or have even been punished. The reason is clear: financial institutions must show responsibility, and realize that there is no difference between providing weapons to a terrorist organization and making funds transfers. "

The lawsuit alleges that the chances of success are high, in part because the transfers were made through a branch in New York - which is a clear violation of the laws against terrorism assistance in the United States. These laws prohibit any assistance activities to terrorist elements, even an indirect one.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!