(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel and Arnon Regular - Israeli security forces Wednesday confiscated more than NIS 35 million from three Arab banks in Ramallah. According to defense sources, the money came from Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and other countries, with much of the funds going to Hamas-affiliated organizations, as well as directly to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah terror cells. The chairman of the Cairo-Amman Bank, Abdel Malik al-Jabbar, said, "the soldiers showed bank officials a list of 56 accounts to be confiscated. Then they took NIS 2.8 million from the bank safe, the same amount that was in those 56 accounts." Israel has promised the money will be used instead on projects "that benefit Palestinian welfare." Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said, "The money should be used to improve conditions for the residents of the territories, not to kill Israelis."
2004-02-26 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive