October 20, New York - The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York rejected the petition of Turkey-based KUVYET TURK KATILIM BANKASI to dismiss the lawsuit brought against it for aiding and abetting the terrorist organization which murdered Na'ama and Eitam Henkin on October 1, 2015. Per the lawsuit, the bank provided banking services to known Hamas terrorist Jihad Yaghmour, the Islamic University of Gaza, and the Turkish charity “IHH."
The court recognized the significance of the Israeli Minister of Defense's designation of the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) as a banned entity, which is part of Hamas' charity network.
The court trusts that the diligent intelligence and legal process, which preceded the Minister of Defense's public order, provided a solid basis for the designation.
This decision reflects that responsibility that financial institutions worldwide have in recognizing Israel's designations of terrorist organizations. The claim that a financial institution was unaware that an organization or individual is connected to terror is repudiated if the organization or individual in question has been designated as such by Israel, which is sufficient to assume that the organization or individual in question is involved in terrorism.
Link To The Court's Decision
