Special to WorldTribune.com

JERUSALEM — Israeli victims of Hamas attacks have examined the prospect of issuing a U.S. subpoena to a former leading aide of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who abandoned their case against an alleged Chinese financier.

The Israel Law Center, which represents the families of Hamas victims, has sought to issue a subpoena to the former director of the National Security Council.

The council is said to have determined that Yaakov Amidror, for years a leading aide of Netanyahu, could provide evidence of how Hamas received financial services by the Bank of China.

Israeli sources said Netanyahu, who has long urged the international community to intensify efforts against Hamas and Hizbullah, abandoned the Bank of China case after threats from the Beijing government. On Nov. 17, the Israeli government told the New York court that the official, Uzi Shaya, would not testify.

“We have sent a notice of deposition to Yaakov Amidror to appear before a hearing on December 10,” center director Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said.

The deposition, announced on Nov. 28, marked the first response by the
Israeli victims in wake of a decision by Netanyahu to block help to
the plaintiffs in the suit against Bank of China. In mid-November, the prime
minister, preventing the appearance of a former intelligence official, said
the Bank of China case could hamper Israeli security.

Bank of China has been sued in the federal district courts in New York
and Washington on charges of helping Hamas transfer funds. Ms.
Darshan-Leitner said she organized the Israeli families and filed the suit
after being approached by the intelligence community in 2007.

One intelligence official submitted an affidavit on Bank of China’s help
to Hamas while another had been set to testify. The bank was said to have
closed the accounts of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in 2009.

Ms. Darshan-Leitner said her attorneys would cross-examine Amidror on
the Bank of China case, the next hearing of which was set for Jan. 15, 2014.
She said the former national security chief, who informed the New York
court, would be asked why Netanyahu stopped Shaya from testifying. She said
her attorneys would also subpoena Israeli ambassador to Beijing, Matan
Vilnai.

“Once Israel admits that the reason it is prohibiting the testimony is
pressure from the Chinese, it would be a clear case of obstruction of
justice and destroying evidence by the Bank of China,” Ms. Darshan-Leitner
said.

  Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas attack victims may subpoena Netanyahu aide over Bank of China role, Israel Law Center, Uzi Shaya, Yaakov Amidror