Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumArab Bank Found Liable for Hamas Attacks
A U.S. jury said on Monday Arab Bank Plc provided material support to Hamas, and must therefore compensate the victims of two dozen attacks the Islamic militant group allegedly carried out in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Jurors needed less than two days to deliberate, following a six-week trial in Brooklyn federal court that lawyers described as the first terrorism financing civil case to reach trial in the United States.
Nearly 300 Americans who were either victims or related to victims of the attacks had sued Arab Bank in 2004, accusing it of violating the Anti-Terrorism Act, which lets victims of U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations seek damages. A trial on damages will be scheduled for a later date.
The plaintiffs had accused the Jordan-based bank of knowingly maintaining accounts for Hamas operatives, and financing millions in payments for the families of suicide bombers and those imprisoned or injured during a Palestinian uprising that began in 2000.
That is how we stop terrorism, said Tab Turner, a lawyer for the victims, said in his closing argument last week. You dont stop them with bullets. You dont stop them with smart bombs.
How you stop them is you take the money away.
Lawyers for the bank had countered that Arab Bank merely provided routine banking services, and that most of the people and organizations that the plaintiffs claims had received the services had not been designated by the U.S. government as terrorists during those years.
http://m.forward.com/articles/206230/arab-bank-found-liable-for-hamas-attacks/?
merrily
(45,251 posts)might (should?) be found guilty of.
azurnoir
(45,850 posts)where oh where have we seen this sort of thing before
The defense also argued that people the plaintiffs identified as Hamas operatives who did business with the bank weren't on a terrorist watch lists compiled by authorities in the United States and other Western nations. The plaintiffs "are asking you to make your own list" based on the word of their experts, Stephens told the jury in closing arguments.
"The bank relies on the government to tell them who the terrorists are and you wouldn't want it any other way," he said.
Plaintiff attorney Tab Turner argued that the identities of Hamas leaders were so well-known in the region, it was impossible to believe that Arab Bank executives' testimony that they didn't recognize them. Before trial, the bank had refused to turn over the account records to the plaintiffs, citing privacy regulations - a decision that resulted in a court sanction instructing that the jury be allowed to infer that the withheld records could contain evidence damaging to the bank.
"What is it that the bank was so worried about they didn't want you to see it? They didn't want you to see who was giving who money and for what," Turner said.
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140922/ap-us--terrorism-lawsuit-1dd304b3bd.html
King_David
(14,851 posts)Hopefully it bankrupts the bank and sets a precedent .
Great news
azurnoir
(45,850 posts)and good luck on collecting anything at all, this bank is headquartered over seas unless of course you expect the uS government to sanction it's ally Jordan over a what has been called "a show trial" as this verdict if up held will accomplish is making the US persona non grata in foreign banks
nice to see you seem to approve of the "they all know each other " mindset does that apply to all minorities or just Arabs?
King_David
(14,851 posts)They pay or go under.
If they financed an uber terrorist group like Hamas as they have been found to have they deserve to go "bye bye" and let that be a lesson for others including Quatar govt.
azurnoir
(45,850 posts)be caught up in this it could in fact cause a financial collapse but please do cheer on
As it stands the Arab bank has one office in the US it would be quite wise to shutter that one if the appeal fails the US can not collect over seas only that which is held here BTW I've read that banks are not rushing to sever ties with Arab bank they too feel secure in the appeal being successful
King_David
(14,851 posts)Hopefully the appeal is not successful .
Anyone supporting a homophobic bigoted hateful group like Hamas deserves to SINK.
Maybe they can find new clients ? Which bank does ISIS use?
azurnoir
(45,850 posts)and seeing as the alleged Hamas contacts were not on terror watch lists there seems little legal precedent for a guilty verdict in the event he appeal fails the best that can be done is their NYC office seized but that is the limit
judging from your comment you seem to subscribe to "they all know each other" thing so once again does apply only to Arabs?
King_David
(14,851 posts)That's a fun fact.
Maybe they can open up in Mosul ?
azurnoir
(45,850 posts)perhaps that was true in the 1960's but the US is no longer quite the giant it once was
King_David
(14,851 posts)I'm probably wrong.