Arab Bank Accounts For Senior Hamas Leaders
The Plaintiffs established that Arab Bank violated the Anti-Terrorism Act by illegally, knowingly maintaining bank accounts for senior Hamas leaders like Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Hamas’s founder and supreme leader, even though he was a Specially Designated Terrorist. The Plaintiffs introduced evidence of a $60,000 transfer to Yassin’s account in 2001. The Plaintiffs also introduced evidence of multiple transfers to Yassin’s wife, Halima Yassin.
The Plaintiffs also proved that Arab Bank maintained accounts for many other senior Hamas leaders, including key leaders of Hamas’s terror apparatus – the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Al-Qassam Brigades leaders who held accounts at Arab Bank included:
- Salah Shehadeh, its founder and former head, who received multiple transfers;
- Abbas al-Sayed, a senior Hamas leader who masterminded the Park Hotel Bombing, Netanya - March 27, 2002, who received multiple transfers; and
- Salah Darwazah, who received multiple transfers.
Other Hamas leaders who were customers included:
- Osama Hamdan, Hamas senior leader and spokesman and United States-designated Specially Designated Global Terrorist, who received multiple transfers made out to “Hamas”;
- Ismail Haniyeh, former Hamas Prime Minister and current Hamas leader in Gaza, who received multiple transfers;
- Ismail Abu Shanab, a co-founder of Hamas, who received multiple transfers;
- Muhammad Shama, a co-founder of Hamas, who received multiple transfers;
- Ghazi Hamed, a leading Hamas spokesman, who received multiple transfers;
- Hamas leader Jamal Salim, who received multiple transfers; and
- Hamas leader Muna Mansur, the wife of Hamas leader Jamal Mansur, who received multiple transfers; and
In nearly all cases, Arab Bank refused to turn over senior Hamas leaders’ account records though they were legally obligated to do so.