"At this point, due to conclusions that there is an Israeli interest
that the transfer of funds continue, a decision was made to continue to
transfer certain sums of money to the Gaza Strip," a June 25 letter from
Olmert's office to the Israel Law Center said.
"Tens of thousands of Hamas terrorists and governmental officials get
their salary in Israeli currency — in cash," Israel Law Center director
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner wrote in a letter to Olmert. "Thus, the transfer of
large sums of cash into the Gaza Strip is, by definition, an act that
directly fuels the terrorist activity of Hamas and is therefore a violation
of the Terror-Funding Act of 2005 and the domestic and international laws
against money laundering."
The center said some of the Israeli funding has been used in Hamas
money-laundering. It did not elaborate.
"Hypocritically, the prime minister demands governments around the world
isolate and and embargo the Hamas terrorists in Gaza, and stop transferring
funds to them while at the same time he authorizes the transfer of Israeli
currency into the hands of the enemy," Ms. Darshan-Leitner said.
"This
government claims to be fighting against the smuggling of tens of millions
of dollars and euro into the Gaza Strip via the Egyptian border, all the
while participating in the laundering of this money by exchanging them for
New Israeli Shekels."
The center has warned of legal action against the Israeli government.
Ms. Darshan-Leitner has already threatened a lawsuit against a major Israeli
fuel company that exports to the Gaza Strip.
"There can be no doubt that the Israeli government's policy of
transferring shekels is assisting the Hamas terrorists with their missile
attacks on the Negev communities," Ms. Darshan-Leitner said.
"If the prime
minister does not immediately halt the currency transfers to Gaza, Shurat
HaDin [Israel Law Center] will take all legal means available against the
government to bring this terror financing to a close."