The Confiscation of Terrorist Funds

1. The Confiscation of Terrorist Funds The Israeli Operation in Ramallah 24 February 2004

2. On Febuary 25th 2004, Israeli security forces carried out an operation to confiscate terrorist funds that were deposited in the Ramallah branches of the Arab Bank and the Cairo-Amman Bank.

3. Palestinian Authority officials received notification that the operation was to be focused on the confiscation of terrorist funds only.

4. September 2001 • The United States declares a “war on terror”. • Sept. 24th 2001 - President Bush stated that he was freezing terror assets. “We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them against each other, rout them out of their safe hiding places, and bring them to justice.” President George W. Bush

5. Legal Aspects • Information regarding the suspected terrorist bank accounts was presented to the legal elements of the ISA, the IDF and the Attorney General’s Office - all of whom authorized the operation. • Any individual whose funds were confiscated has the right to appeal the decision.

6. Background Information: Funds that Fuel Terror • Terrorist groups initiate and control terror activity by transferring large sums of money to their field operatives. • Many terrorists earn a regular living by carrying out terrorist attacks.

7. Terrorists questioned by the ISA revealed detailed information regarding the funding they received for terrorist activities:

8. Ahmed Sari Hussein Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Tul Karem Orchestrated the March 30 2003 suicide bombing in Netanya in which 32 civilians were wounded.

9. Ahmed Sari Hussein • For this particular attack, Hussein received $2,250 from the former head of the PIJ in Tul Karem. • He was informed by a Hizbullah handler in Lebanon that he will receive more funds only if he agrees to carry out additional attacks.

10. Wael Ghanem Fatah/Tanzim, Tul Karem Ghanem, a Tanzim terrorist from the Tul Karem refugee camp, maintained contact with a Lebanese handler, from whom he received: • $7,000in order to manufacture explosive charges. • $1,500in order to purchase weapons. These funds were transferred to his sister’s bank account. • $10,000 in order to fund his terrorist operations.These funds were transferred to bank accounts of women with whom he was in contact.

11. Mountasir Abu Ghalyoun A Tanzim Commander from Jenin Ghalyoun was involved in financing and orchestrating a large number of terrorist attacks, including four shooting ambushes in which four civilians were killed. One of the attacks took place in Yaabed, on June 30, 2003 - one day after the “Hudna” ceasefire began. In an announcement following the attack, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades stated: “We have executed the killing...We reject and condemn the plots against our cause … especially that which is called the Hudna.”

12. Mountasar Abu Ghalyoun One of the Tanzim commanders in Jenin During questioning he stated that the minimal payment for the perpetration of a terrorist attack is between $700 and $1,200.

13. Abu Ghalyoun’s Statements regarding the Cost of Purchasing Weapons: M-16A2 Rifle$6,500 M-16 A1 Rifle$4,500-$5,350 AK-47 Rifle$1,500-$2,250 A locally-made Sanobal rifle$1,100 Handgun$1,500-$1,750 AK-47 Bullet $2.25 Sanobal Bullet $.50 M-16 Bullet$.45 A stolen vehicle or a vehicle without licenses that can be used in a terror attack$650-$1,500 (depending on the vehicle) A cellular phone chip for perpetrators$11

14. Goals of the IDF Operation • Disrupting the operations of terrorist organizations. • Deterring terror organizations from using bank accounts as means for transferring money. • All this while preserving the stability of the banks by dealing only with bank accounts being used for funding terrorist activity.

15. Personal Accounts: Those containing funds to be used to finance terrorist activities. Senior terrorist fugitives in the PA territories. Accounts of Institutions: Illegal Associations PIJ and Hamas groups in the PA territories. Types of Bank Accounts from which Funds were Confiscated Family Accounts: • Families of terrorists, if the account serves for terrorist activity.

16. Associations whose Funds were Confiscated During the Operation

17. The Charity Association of Jenin • This association is a front for the Hamas. It was outlawed by Israel in 2002. • The director of the association was Jamal Abu Al Hija - a Hamas operative who was arrested by Israel in Nov. 2002.

18. Al Hija was an accomplice in the 4 August, 2002, suicide bombing of the #361 bus at Meron Junction, in which 9 civilians were killed and 52 were injured.

19. The Al Aslah Association of Al Bireh • This association is managed by senior Hamas armed operatives. It was outlawed by Israel in early 2002. • The founder and head of the Association was Jamal Tawil, arrested in April 2002.

20. Tawil recruited the suicide bombers who perpetrated the 1 Dec. 2001 double suicide attack against Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall. Eleven Israeli civilians were killed and 188 were wounded in the attack.

21. The Al Ansar Charity Association • This association is managed by Nafez A’araj, a former senior operative of the PIJ, and currently a Hizbullah operative in Gaza. It was outlawed by Israel in late 2003. • The Association, directed by the Hizbullah, transfers funds to families of suicide bombers and those imprisoned for terrorist activity. • A’araj transfers funds to operatives in order to carry out terrorist attacks and arms smuggling operations.

22. Personal Bank Accounts from which Funds were Confiscated During the Operation

23. The Account in the Name ofNaef Abu Sharh A senior fugitive of the Tanzim infrastructure in Nablus who was behind a large number of suicide bombings:

24. The 19 June 2002 suicide bombing of a crowded bus stop at the French Hill intersection in northern Jerusalem, in which seven people were murdered and over 35 were wounded. • The 4 November 2002 suicide bombing at a shopping mall in Kfar Sava. Two Israelis were killed and about 70 were wounded. • The 5 January 2003 double suicide bombing on a pedestrian mall in Tel Aviv's Neve Sha'anan neighborhood, adjacent to the old central bus station, in which 23 people were murdered and approximately 120 were wounded.

25. The Account in the Name of Yaman Faraj • A senior fugitive, the head of the PFLP’s military infrastructure in Nablus who was involved in the direction and planning of terror attacks. • Faraj was involved in the direction and planning of terrorist attacks, including the 25 December 2003 suicide bombing at Geha junction, in which four people were murdered and 21 were wounded.

26. The Account in the Name of Mouhamad Abdin • Abdin is a money changer from Hebron who directed a widespread infrastructure created to fund the terrorist activity of the Hamas armed operatives in the Gaza Strip. • The sum of funds transferred by Abdin stands at $1.6 million. This amount was transferred over a period of a few months.

27. Family Bank Accounts from which Funds were Confiscated During the Operation

28. The Account that Serves the Family of Ala al Abasi Al Abasi is a Hamas armed operative who is currently incarcerated. His terrorist cell is responsible for a number of suicide bombings in Israel. Due to his terrorist activities, the Hamas transferred funds to his family’s account in order to serve his family.

29. Al Abasi was directly involved in the terrorist operations perpetrated by the cell: • Attacks against fuel trucks in Glilot and in RishonLetzion and against trains in Lod and Yavne. • The 7 May 2002 suicide bombing of a Rishon Letzion gaming club, in which 15 people were murdered and 55 were wounded. • The 9 March 2002 suicide bombing at the Cafe Moment in Jerusalem, in which 11 people were murdered and 58 were wounded.