A group of Israelis sued Bank of China in a US court on Thursday, saying it facilitated terrorism by transferring millions of dollars for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The 100-some plaintiffs are victims of "a series of terrorist attacks" carried out in Israel by the two Palestinian groups between May 2004 and January 2007, according to documents filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court."Defendant Bank of China Limited intentionally, recklessly and/or negligently provided extensive banking services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and to Hamas, which banking services caused, enabled and facilitated the terrorist attacks in which the plaintiffs and their decedents were harmed and killed," the lawsuit said.
Beginning in 2003, US branches of Bank of China executed dozens of wire transfers totaling several million dollars to an account at a BOC branch in Guanzhou, China owned by Said Al-Shurafa, "a senior operative and agent of the PIJ and Hamas," the lawsuit alleged. "At all times, BOC had actual knowledge that the wire transfers were being made by the PIJ and Hamas for the purpose of carrying out terrorist attacks," it said.
Israeli officials asked Bank of China to halt the wire transfers in April 2005, but the bank, with the approval of Chinese government officials, ignored the demand, the lawsuit said.
Such transactions are barred under US sanctions aimed at preventing groups the United States has designated as terrorist from operating. The sanctions regime is observed by most banks and financial institutions around the world, the lawsuit said.