PA finance minister paid thousands to designated terrorist while working at Arab Bank
Under cross-examination in the Arab Bank terror financing trial in New York, 'Palestinian Authority Finance Minister' Shukri Bishara, the former chief executive officer of the Arab Bank, has admitted that he
knowingly paid thousands of dollars to designated Hamas terrorist Osama Hamdan while employed by the bank.
Under cross examination by counsel for the plaintiffs Mark Werbner, Bishara’s tone changed from gregarious to acrimonious. A heated exchange took place when Werbner asserted that Bishara had released funds from a bank account belonging to senior Hamas leader Osama Hamdan.
“You gave this terrorist $8,000, the man who moves weapons and explosives,” Werbner stated. “You had no other choice than to give this terrorist $8,000?” “My concern was to get rid of the account,” Bishara explained, having admitted he knew Hamdan was on the US terrorist blacklist at the time. “There was simply no way” to close the account without a court order or Hamdan being designated a terrorist by Lebanon, he said.
Defense lawyers say the so-called “Beirut account” was first brought to the bank’s attention in 2004 by this lawsuit. After waiting five or six months to find another solution, Bishara said, the Arab Bank ultimately cut a check to Hamdan and closed the account.
This fund transfer has burdened the bank’s main defense, which was that most transfers were made to those who were not on any US watch list at the time.
Of course there was 'another solution.' They could have gotten the court order. Or they could have held the money.
Here's hoping that Arab Bank is barred from using the US banking system. Other countries' banks have been threatened for far less harmful actions.
Labels: Arab Bank, designated terror organization, Hamas, Osama Hamdan, terror funding
Video: Wolf Blitzer grills Hamas' Osama Hamdan over blood libels
Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan has been making infrequent appearances on
CNN in the past few weeks, but today Wolf Blitzer really held his feet
to the fire. At issue here was what Blitzer called “disturbing” comments
Hamdan made on television saying that Jews use Christian blood to make
matzoh, a charge generally referred to as blood libel. Hamdan had said,
“We all remember how the Jews used to slaughter Christians in order to
mix their blood in their holy matzoh. This is not a figment of the
imagination or something taken from a film. It is a fact acknowledged by
their own books and historical evidence.”
Blitzer confronted
Hamdan over that remark today. Hamdan, repeatedly, refused to directly
answer Blitzer’s question. Instead, he argued that the truly disgusting
rhetoric is coming from the Israelis. Hamdan told Blitzer, “They are
misusing the words. I’ve said on the same occasion that we don’t have
problems with the Jews… I have Jewish friends who are supporting the
Palestinian rights.”
At no point did Hamdan address those
controversial remarks themselves. But what Blitzer noticed is that not
once did Hamdan issue any kind of denial for uttering such “an awful,
awful smear.”
Let's go to the videotape.
Kind of tough when your Arabic gets translated into English, isn't it?
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, blood libel, CNN, Hamas, Moshe Feiglin, Osama Hamdan, Palestinian lies
Hamas tells al-Hayat it will kidnap more soldiers, Israel will lighten Gaza blockade
You will recall that General Security Service chief Yoram Cohen told us last week that
Israel has not agreed not to harm the 'Palestinian' terrorists that Israel has agreed to release on Tuesday. On Friday, Hamas sources told the London-based
al-Hayat daily
exactly the opposite.
The source said that Hamas has also expected the naval blockade of Gaza to lighten following the conclusion of the exchange, Al Hayat reported.
The Jerusalem Post could not confirm this report.
A Hamas official in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, told Al Hayat that Israel was obligated to refrain from targeting any of the Palestinian prisoners as a part of the agreement.
Under the deal, Israel will immediately release 450 male prisoners on a list of names drawn up with Hamas, and another 27 female prisoners, and then get Schalit in return. Israel will then free another 550 prisoners of its own choosing in two months.
This was not the first time that Hamas said they would not reject a policy of IDF kidnappings.
On Wednesday, Abu Obaida, spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, Izzadin Kassam said that Schalit, who is set to be released as part of a prisoner exchange deal, "will not be the last solider kidnapped by Hamas as long as Israel keeps Palestinian prisoners detained."
YNet
raises some doubts as to the reliability of the 'Palestinian' sources.
Highlighting the deal's positive aspects, the Hamas official said that Israel had ultimately agreed to releasing 54 out of 70 "heavy" prisoners which were the focus of previous negotiations, as well as some Arab-Israeli prisoners and former east Jerusalem residents. It should be noted that a senior Egyptian official said Thursday that only 40 "heavy" prisoners would be released.
Hamdan also addressed the second stage of the deal which will see 550 prisoners chosen by Israel and Egypt released. "Egypt is the only party to guarantee the implementation of stage B conditions," he said.
"According to the finalized conditions, prisoners of the second stage will be regarded as security prisoners rather than criminal inmates, they will come from all parts of the political spectrum and all areas. Their health state, prison sentenced and time served will all be taken into consideration."
What could go wrong?
Labels: Osama Hamdan, terrorists for Gilad trade, Yoram Cohen
