The Hamas and Jihad funds were said to have been sent from the United
States to a BOC account in China operated by an unidentified senior
Palestinian operative. The suit, Zahavi vs. Bank of China, said the money
was relayed to Hamas and Jihad in the Gaza Strip and West Bank for attacks
on Israel.
"BOC even had the chutzpah [impudence] to make these funds transfers
through its U.S. branches right under the nose of the U.S. Justice
Department, despite the fact that Hamas and the PIJ are designated terrorist
organizations and that such wire transfers are a crime under American law,"
Ms. Darshan-Leitner said.
In April 2005, the suit said, Israeli security officials met their
Chinese counterparts to discuss BOC transfers to Hamas and Jihad. The suit
said despite the Israeli requests, Beijing continued to approve BOC
financial services to the Palestinian insurgency groups.
A key plaintiff was identified as the family of Afik Zahavi, a
four-year-old killed in a Hamas missile attack on the Israeli city of Sderot
in 2004. Two other plaintiffs were identified as the families of Emi
Elmaliah, and Michael Saadon, killed in a Jihad suicide bombing in Eilat in
2007.
"We expect BOC to now pay very heavily for its support for terrorism,"
Ms. Darshan-Leitner said.