The Embattled Arab Bank

When trial attorney Gary Osen - a free-market conservative who has a penchant for tackling larger-than-life cases - discovered evidence last year suggesting that Arab Bank was knowingly funneling money to Palestinian terrorists, he filed a civil suit on behalf of terror victims last July. Osen learned of Arab Bank's alleged terror financing on the Internet. Documents captured by the Israeli Defense Forces during targeted raids of terror outfits yielded a massive cache of evidence tying Arab Bank to funding of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and families of suicide bombers - and the IDF posted much of it on the net. But even more openly, advertisements in prominent Palestinian newspapers told families of "martyrs" - suicide bombers - to collect money from Arab Bank.

One February 2002 ad listed names entitled to receive $5,316 from the "Saudi Committee." The "Saudi Committee" referenced is likely at least part of the reason that the feds are hustling to shield Arab Bank, despite the wealth of evidence that led to the partial shuttering of the institution's New York branch. The Saudi Committee for the Support of the Intifada al Quds, which was established shortly after the start of the current intifada, attained international notoriety when its 2002 telethon netted over $100 million.

See also Saudi Charities' Terror Ties by U.S. Rep. Sue W. Kelly (R-NY).