Gary Fitleberg, December 21, 2004

A Jordan-based Arab Bank has been hit by a massive lawsuit filed by Americans whose family members were killed or injured in terror attacks in Israel. No less than 117 plaintiffs are lining up against the bank, which has a branch on Manhattan's Madison Avenue.

The plaintiffs joined an earlier suit pursued by 30 families of terrorism victims. One new name on the list is the family of Matthew Parsons, who was killed in October 2003 when a roadside bomb exploded near Beit Hanun as he was guarding an American convoy. Another family joining the lawsuit is that of Abigail Litle, who was killed in the terror attack on Bus 37 in Haifa.

The plaintiffs claim that Arab Bank illegally funneled dollars from various Islamic charitable foundations and others to known terrorist organizations. Recipients of the financing allegedly included Hamas, the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, say the plaintiffs.

The complaint was filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, alleging that the money transfers violate U.S. criminal and civil laws.

The families claim that Arab Bank essentially laundered funds, transferring money to the families of suicide bombers as incentives and rewards for their participation in the murdering of Americans and Israelis in Israel and in the Palestinian territories. Money was converted into dollars and then rerouted to local branches of Arab Bank in the territories of Gaza, Judea & Samaria (wrongfully called "West Bank"), say the families.

The lawsuit, Litle v. Arab Bank, seeks damages from the bank for providing "insurance" services to terrorists groups through accounts held directly in the name of Hamas and its many terrorist front groups.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2004 Gary Fitleberg