Israelis in North America are launching an orchestrated judicial attack on Lebanese banks for allegedly “funding terrorists”. The banks in question have resolved to ignore them.
Bank of Beirut, one of the targeted banks..
How stupid do the Israelis living in the USA and Canada think Hezbollah is? Judging by the coordinated lawsuits launched in Canada and the USA by Israeli individuals against Lebanese banks, I would say very stupid.
To the Israeli plaintiffs, Hezbollah –who knows it’s listed on the American list of terrorist groups– will simply have money sent to it via conventional channels, paper trail et all, to support its “terrorist activities”. Mr. Nassrallah will simply ignore all the news of American scrutiny of Middle Eastern banks and call his pals in the U.S. to SWIFT hundreds of thousands of “clean” dollars to his personal account in Fransabank.
Idiocy aside, it is clear that the Israelis in questions are more interested in the publicity than in actual results, and it is also clear that the official Lebanese response of ignoring the matter altogether, preferring to express trust in the American judicial system, is wholly inadequate.
Lebanese banks and businessmen should do more to expose the smear campaign against our banks for what it really is. Simply stating to the local media that our banks are abiding by international regulations is a nonstarter.
Lebanese activists in the US and Canada should also contribute. After all, two can play this game. Every Lebanese-American with a destroyed house from Israeli missiles, every shopkeeper with lost revenue from the war, every mother whose child was killed should also wage lawsuits against Israeli banks in US and Canada, for funding such destruction and loss of life.
Like the Israeli lawsuits, they won’t reach anywhere, but at least the publicity will neutralize their claim to the moral high grounds.
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I've been blogging about Lebanese society and politics since February 2005. 
WOW!!
First time I have actually seen you write complete bullshit. What the hell does this mean:-”Lebanese activists in the US and Canada should also contribute. After all, two can play this game. Every Lebanese-American with a destroyed house from Israeli missiles, every shopkeeper with lost revenue from the war, every mother whose child was killed should also wage lawsuits against Israeli banks in US and Canada, for funding such destruction and loss of life.”
What “game” are you talking about? You want to absolve the dogs who actually caused this destruction. The Banks in lebanon are very much involved with getting the hundreds of millions of faqih money into lebanon whihc allows hizballah to fund their systematic destruction of the state. I support this move, but then again I am sometimes a rational thinker.
Every single harm that came to lebanon in the last 30 years is a direct result of the actions of either hizballah or brotherly shithole syria or just generally stupid and greedy lebanese.
By the way, about your missles and things and babies dying, PLEASE NOTE, not one israeli missle was ever fired intentionally at children or innocent people in lebanon, and none was ever fired out of spite or malice. The only time is when they were attacked or provoked. When innocent ones die, israel DOES NOT rejoice…but hizballah does, when child killers go free no one rejoices except hizballah and scum sucking lebanese politicians.
Who’s playing the “game”?
Shunkleash, please go fly a kite. These lawsuits are purely for PR and for the potential to collect fees by ambitious, or shall i say, sleazy lawyers. Mustapha is right on. You really think Hizballah uses international banks for its activities. Lest you forget, the Beirut invasion was primarily because of the implementable government decision to move Hizballah’s man from the airport. There lies your answer in how the Hizb gets its cash, it’s suitcases full of cash that is.
Mustapha, I have never read so much dribble. Hey you want to rant, it is OK for you to do so in a private capacity but not as a well thought out opinion on a respectable blog.
The issue is not whether Nasrallah gets money transfered through Bank Audi but it is to make a statement that according to international law banks who knowingly deal with terorrist organizations are breaking the law. This will make it more difficult for all sorts of people and organizations to use regular banking vehicles to transact their business. On the other hand your call for counter suits on the grounds that Isralei banks helped finance war is rather silly. There are no laws that prevent banks from facilitating the legal and legitimate government operations. If you have a problem with the Israeli then by all means find a way to sue them but a law suit against a bank for having provided legitimate financing to a legal government would be thrown out of court.
Ghassan,
My entire point is that, as anyone who has recently dealt with a Lebanese banker knows, the “statement” you’re referring to is redundant.
The scrutiny on Lebanese banks is already insufferable, to the point that it is costing legitimate businesses a lot of convenience services they used to take for granted.
The last thing we need are Scam lawsuits like these to understand the “message”
Israel knows very well that the target here is not Hezbollah anymore, and they know as much as we, that Hezbollah does Not get it’s funding through Banks, at least not Lebanese ones based in the U.S., for sure.
After destorying Lebanon’s infrastructure, massively and openly comitted crimes against humanity by killing 1200 civilians, now they are targeting our most concrete institution – Our Banks.
Looks like you’ve offended some of your zionist readers, Mustapha.
Your argument is just a silly bunch of baloney. PR stunt or not, a state that condones and ignores a bunch of foreign mercenaries who hijack its decision making DESERVES what’s coming to it. So in light of this, I must say that you and the irresponsible Lebanese banks you’re defending, who have resolved to “ignore” this lawsuit, are giving evidence of your lack of scruples, hypocrisy, and mendacity. My only regret is that “every Lebanese-American with a destroyed house from Israeli missiles” (as you call them) made proof of a breathtaking lack of resourcefulness and wherewithal by not, THEMSELVES, bringing suit against Hezbollah and their facilitators, instead of (again) letting Israelis beat them to the punch.
I say kudos to those bringing the suit, whether this is a publicity stunt or not. Terrorists and their facilitators MUST NOT be allowed to continue practicing their hideous trade with impunity. I hope Lebanon and its banks get a VERY PUBLIC, VERY HUMILIATING BEASTING in this affair. We MORE than deserve it Steve, and it’s long overdue!!! ENOUGH pussyfooting and containing already! You of all people should know that!
“…and it is also clear that the official Lebanese response of ignoring the matter altogether, preferring to express trust in the American judicial system, is wholly inadequate.”
The U.S. system of tracking down terrorist funds and laundered money handled by banks is pretty sophisticated. Just ask Elliot Spitzer. In such cases I would go along with trusting the American judicial system.
“Simply stating to the local media that our banks are abiding by international regulations is a nonstarter.”
First get a clean bill of health. Going after someone who commits libel will be a lot easier and the settlement will be a lot larger.
And anyway, I thought that the main supplier of funds was Iran.
oh “al” you shouldn’t have,
“Looks like you’ve offended some of your zionist readers, Mustapha.”
oooh ouch akh…Yeah mazboot, im zionist (to make you feel better), and also sane, rational, educated, secular, loyal to lebanon instead of iran or Syria, I don’t align myself with stupid “arab” causes that even the “arabs” don’t care about and best of all, I don’t sit down all day and think up conspiracy theories about who is zionist and who is not. But, if you feel strongly about it, why not go fight for the return of your land in the golan or better yet, go ask the lion for permission to build a monument in brotherly syria in memory of the 20,000 men women and children (including babies) his papi buried in Hama…YALLA!
By the way “MM”, how high would like me to fly my kite…maybe straight up Berri or Aouns bunghole?
peace
i applaud the banks decision to ignore these silly allegations…
if there’s one thing we can be proud of as lebanese, its our private sector, and specifically our banking sector.
now the jews wanna sue our banking sector, and some freaks on this site are drooling at the prospect..
you can relax, button up your pants and sit down, nothing will result from this pathetically lame cheap shot.
Israel is continually embarressed by its less powerfull neighbor, the latest being in the agreement to release samir quntar. this cheap PR stunt is one way to express anger and defeat.
You have to understand that Israeli banks compete with Lebanon’s banks.
Israel crushed Lebanon’s banking system with the 1982 invasion, and as Lebanon’s banks come back, Israel is still trying to stifle them.
“PLEASE NOTE, not one israeli missle was ever fired intentionally at children or innocent people in lebanon”
It’s amazing how Jews can never take responsibility for their actions. Here Israel bombed (including by use of anti personnel mines) hundreds of civilian structures and residences, and Jews want us to believe it was all by accident.
There’s a reason why everyone has hated Jews throughout your history, and why you make enemies of everyone around you.
70 years ago the Europeans were sick of you, and now it’s the middle easterners. At what point are you going to realize what vile people you are?
Shunkalesh,
” not one israeli missle was ever fired intentionally at children or innocent people in lebanon ”
Can you please explain this one missile that landed rather close to my house:
The missile destroyed the bridge of Halat, on the morning of Aug 4 2006 killing the civilians going to work on that day. There were zero Hizballah casualties since that area was tens of kilometers away from all the fighting between hizballah and Israel.
The road is a civilian road the people who were killed on it were civilian people going to work, the missile was fired intentionally, (three other bridges were destroyed the same morning) so it was not a by mistake missile.
You can read about the incident it here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/aug/04/israel.syria
How does that fit in your world view ? Which part of it fits the “not one israeli missle was ever fired intentionally at children or innocent people in lebanon” you are trying to promote ?
Are you claiming Israel unintentionally fired the missiles?
Or are you claiming the civilians on the road are not innocent ?
Please note this is not the only case this happens to be the one I witnessed personally and not from second hand account or new media, so can you please explain it to me? or at least twist enough facts so it fits your explanations?
I’d love to hear your “sane, rational, educated, secular, loyal to lebanon” explanation.