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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
July 8, 2004
/19 Tamuz, 5764
Hamas Link On Madison Avenue?
By
Adam Dickter
Victims' families allege Arab Bank operates 'insurance coverage plan' for terrorists
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
The New York branch of Arab Bank is a virtual ATM for suicide bombers' families, a group of terror victims and their relatives allege in a federal lawsuit.
The plaintiffs have accused the Jordan-based Arab Bank of "knowingly administering the distribution of financial benefits" to Palestinian terrorists by channeling millions from Saudi depositors to the accounts of bombers and their families through the Madison Avenue branch, as well as providing banking services to Hamas.
"The money, which originates in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, is transferred through New York, converted into dollars and forwarded to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where Arab Bank has a dozen or so branches," said Gary Osen, one of the plaintiff lawyers. "The bank as a whole serves as a distribution mechanism for what we call the 'universal insurance coverage plan' for terrorists."
According to court papers, Arab Bank "assists in distributing funds to support the terror campaign" of Hamas by providing banking services through an account in its Beirut branch to collect funds directly in the organization's name and through front groups.
In a statement on Wednesday, Arab Bank called the assertions "totally irresponsible," and insisted it acted ethically. "This litigation is unfortunate and baseless and will be forcefully defended in the courts," said the statement.
A spokeswoman for Arab Bank in New York did not immediately return calls for comment on Tuesday.
The $875 million suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District on July 2 by relatives of U.S. citizens living in Israel who were victims of terror, and the widow of a former U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb in Gaza last October while protecting American diplomats.
They are represented by the Terror Victims Litigation Project, a group of four law firms in New York, Dallas and Oradell, N.J. Peter Raven-Hansen, a professor of national security law at George Washington University, is also participating in the lawsuit.
"We have to hit them in the pocketbook," said Maida Averbach, the mother of one of the plaintiffs, Steven Averbach, 38, of New Jersey, who became paralyzed after trying unsuccessfully to stop a suicide bomber on a Jerusalem bus in May 2003. "If we tie up their funds in this country, maybe future funnelers will take heed."
Osen said a Web site posted by the Saudi Committee in Support of the Intifada Al Quds openly declared that the group distributes funds to the families of Palestinian "martyrs." According to the suit, the committee pays out $5,316 to the families of dead terrorists and lesser benefits to those who are injured or arrested.
"Mainly it's in plain view if you read Arabic and know where to look," said Osen.
The sum of $875 million in damages is based on prior judgments in terrorism-related cases, including the judgment against Iran won by attorney Stephen Flatow in the death of his daughter, Alisa, in 1995.
Flatow in 1998 convinced a federal court that Iran backed the Islamic Jihad terrorists who carried out a bus bombing that killed Alisa as well as seven Israeli soldiers in Gaza. He was awarded $247 million. All but 10 percent of that money, however, remains frozen and uncollected.
Flatow this week applauded the new litigation but was skeptical.
"We believed, as do officials in the Bush administration, that if you make terrorism expensive to its supporters, they will get out of the business," he said. "But while it's the government's policy to deprive sponsors of terrorism of their money, they don't look too happily when private individuals try to do it."
Flatow said he is still battling officials in the State, Justice and Treasury departments to identify Iranian assets that may not have been seized.
"If the [Arab Bank] does business here, there is a chance they [the plaintiffs] will be able to reach their assets," he said. "Unless for some reason they are declared sacrosanct by Justice or State."
In addition to Averbach, the other plaintiffs are relatives of:
- New Yorkers Eugene and Lorraine Goldstein, who were seriously injured when their car came under fire in June 2003. Their son, Howard, was killed in the attack.
- Tehila Nathansen, 2, who was killed in a bus bombing last August. Several family members were seriously injured.
- Koby Mandell, 13, who was killed while hiking in the Judean Hills in May 2001.
- John Martin Linde Jr., a security contractor for DynCorp in Israel who was working to pay for cancer treatments for his wife, Courtney, when he was killed with two other Americans at the Hanoun Junction in Gaza in October.
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Adam Dickter is a staff writer for the New York Jewish Week. Comment on this column by clicking here.
© 2004, NY Jewish Week
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