Second Lebanon War victims file suit in New York, Montreal
Israelis who have lost their loved ones or who were injured during the Second Lebanon War have filed a lawsuit in the US against Lebanese banks that are alleged to have aided Hezbullah during the conflict. The amount of the claim is estimated at $100 million.The claim was signed by 60 Israelis and was filed at the New York Federal Court against five banks, claiming they held accounts and knowingly provided financial services to Hizbullah and its fundraising entity IRSO (Islamic Resistance Support Organization) – openly raising capital to fund the organizations’ terror activities. The claim states that the banks violated international law.On Monday, three Canadian victims of the Second Lebanon War filed a lawsuit in Montreal against the Lebanese-Canadian Bank.
The respondents are Fransabank, Lebanon Commerce Bank, Bank of Beirut, French-Lebanese Bank, and MEAB (Middle East Africa Bank.) Other financial institutions whose names have yet to be disclosed have been served a statement of claim.
Attorney Oren Gutterman specializing in damage and injuries is representing the claimants together with two US attorneys. According to Gutterman, the lawsuit is based on an America law allowing foreign citizens to file a damage or injury claim in the US and is open to additional claimants who wish to join.
Gutterman added that the lawsuit is part of the international efforts to fight terror by curbing the cash flow to various terror organizations. The way to do that is making terror aid uneconomical by the court placing high penalty amounts on the banks helping to fund those organizations, he said.
Two months ago, some 50 Americans hit by rockets and terror attacks filed a lawsuit on the amount of half a billion dollars against a Swiss bank, claiming the bank has been funding Hizbullah, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad.
The statement of claim shows that the bank had transferred money to Iran despite the US federal prohibition, and was used to find terror activities.
The plaintiffs, all of whom were injured in Northern Israel in Katyusha rocket attacks, allege that LCB unlawfully provided financial services to the Hizbollah terrorist organization by allowing charity groups affiliated with Hizbollah to transfer funds prior to and during the terrorist attacks on Israeli cities in 2006.I have a raw video for you of a Hezbullah rocket attack from the summer of 2006. It looks like the attack on the Haifa train station. Let's go to the videotape.
The law suit, filed today, contends that since 2004, LCB permitted the Yousser Company for Finance and Investment and the and Martyrs Foundation, two Lebanese terrorist groups, to open and maintain accounts at LCB, and to freely transfer many millions of dollars of Hizbollah funds and to carry out millions of dollars in financial transactions, within and without Lebanon, by means of wire transfers, letters of credit, checks and credit cards provided by LCB. LCB, it is charged, facilitated Hizbollah's terrorist activities and is liable to the plaintiffs for the harm that has been inflicted upon them and their families in the rockets attacks.
This is the first civil action brought by Canadian victims of Hizbollah's rocket attacks in a Canadian court.
The plaintiffs are Sara Yefet, Shoshana Sapir and Rochelle and Oz Shalmani
The families are represented by Montreal attorney Jeffrey Boro, Professor Ed Morgan of the University of Toronto's International Law and Counter-Terrorism Project and attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of Israel.
The plaintiffs claim that Hizbollah used the financial services which it was provided by LCB in order to build its terrorist infrastructure, to train, pay and equip its terrorist operatives, and to carry out terrorist attacks. LCB's management, officers and employees had full knowledge that Yousser and Martyrs are part of Hizbollah's financial arm and that the financial services were being provided to a violent terrorist organization
Both Yousser and Martyrs have been designated by the U.S. Treasury as terrorist organizations. The fact that the two groups are part of Hizbollah's financial arm is notorious public knowledge in Lebanon.
According to attorney Darshan-Leitner: "LCB knew that both charities are part of Hizbollah's financial arm and that by providing them banking services they were really assisting the Iranian backed terrorists in Lebanon and their rocket attacks against civilians. How in 2006 in the midst of a deadly Middle East war does any responsible bank transfer any funds to something called the `Martyr's Foundation' in Lebanon? This law suit is only the beginning of the uncovering of Hizbollah's extensive financial network in Canada."
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:53 PM
2 Comments:
Great sue them...
But in the end, I'd personally rather see a cruise missile hit Nasrallah and his newly freed heroes standing in front of a crowd of supporters in downtown Beirut.
How about a bounty on the head of Nasrallah?
Agreed. Its telling Israeli citizens have to do what their clueless and morally bankrupt government won't do. Its better than that treif deal which this same government is bent on forcing as a bitter pill down the country's throat.
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