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Law group asks why Israel should pay salaries of Hamas officials

Saturday, December 13, 2008 Free Headline Alerts

JERUSALEM — Israel's High Court has received an appeal to stop the transfer of more than $25 million to the Hamas regime on the grounds that some of the funds are for "terrorist paychecks".

The Israel Law Center has petitioned the court to block a Defense Ministry decision to transfer 100 million shekel to banks in the Gaza Strip.

The money, approved by Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Bank of Israel Gov. Stanley Fischer, was meant to pay salaries of the Hamas leadership, blamed for the daily missile strikes against the Jewish state.

"The government might as well be providing truck-loads of Kassam rockets instead of cash to Gaza," Israel Law Center director Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said.

"Fischer and Barak have knowingly allowed for the transfer of 100 million shekels, $25 million to the Hamas run government providing for at least 22,000 terrorist paychecks."

Officials said the money to Hamas marked the first Israeli transfer since October 2008. They said Barak was pressed by both Fischer and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The decision has been criticized by several Cabinet ministers.

"How is it possible that our government continuously supports those which aim to destroy us?" Ms. Darshan-Leitner asked.

Despite the appeal to the High Court, the Defense Ministry transferred the cash to the Gaza Strip on Dec. 11. Israeli protesters failed to stop an armored truck from delivering the money.

The petition to the High Court demanded the end to all monetary transfers by Israeli banks to Hamas. The High Court was told that the funds transferred by Israel would be used by the Hamas regime to continue attacks on Israel.

Two of Israel's leading banks — Israel Discount Bank and Bank Hapoalim — have been pressured by the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to transfer cash to Hamas, the petition said. In October 2007, both Israel Discount Bank and Bank Hapoalim announced that they would end transactions with financial institutions in the Gaza Strip.

The Israel Law Center has threatened Israeli suppliers to the Hamas regime that they could be sued in U.S. courts under a law that bans aid to groups deemed terrorist. The two Israeli banks have branches in the United States.

"In recent years banks in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia have been sued by terror victims for aiding the terrorist groups by providing them and charities affiliated with them financial services," the Israel Law Center said.

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