FROM A
DIFFERENT ANGLE by Kenneth Rijock
DIFFERENT ANGLE by Kenneth Rijock
Financial Crime Consultant, for World-Check
How will Hamas now move cash into Gaza?
29 July 2007
With the continued closing of the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza, Hamas must now find another way to practise bulk cash smuggling. Since it has this week promised to pay the salaries of not only its own security service, the Executive Force, but also local government staff, it must have found a way to acquire US dollars and, more importantly, a new way to move them into the Territory of Gaza, over which it now exercises total control. How is it doing it?
So how is Hamas moving its illicit cash, raised from sympathetic donors and supporter countries? Let us examine some possibile methods:
With both the US and Israel supporting the Fatah government in the West Bank, and the Quartet continuing to decline to negotiate with Hamas for so long as it fails to repudiate terrorism, it is crucial that even inadvertent or negligent support of Hamas through funding assistance be avoided, lest censure, and severe fines and penalties be levied by regulators.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ * For further reading: Is Israel seeking to use Kerem Shalom Crossing to stop Hamas Bulk Cash Smuggling? World-Check 11 July, 2007.
- We know the designated terrorist organisation is unable to use those Palestinians who were stranded in Egypt, and are now being repatriated by Israel through either the Nitzana Crossing, as they are being inspected by Israeli authorities, to ensure that no bulk cash smuggling is occurring.
- Any Palestinians returning to Gaza via transport from the West Bank presumably would also be cause for inspection of parcels and careful appraisal of potential body smuggling of currency.
- None of the crossings from Jordan, such as Allenby Bridge and Rabin, or from Lebanon, such as Metullah, or even Syria, are candidates for successful smuggling, as they would require transit through Israel, are open intermittently, and would probably result in a refusal of entry for Palestinians.
- Hizballah assistance is a possibility, as it now has a close relationship with many of its brother terrorists in the region; it could obtain dollars from cooperating Lebanese bank partners, but delivery is still a problem; It is assumed that there still remain covert tunnels in operation between the Egyptian border area and Gaza.
- Critical food and medicine is being allowed entry into Gaza by Israel for humanitarian purposes. That is a possible avenue for entry.
- Non Government Organisations (NGOs) operating within Gaza could be utilised to deliver cash, if agents or volunteers working within these groups could be corrupted to assist in the smuggling.
- Could diplomats be involved? Or foreign journalists? We cannot say, but all possibilities should be considered.
- Banks in the region that formerly had no calls for excessive amounts of US dollars, but now are being asked for large denominations should carefully confirm that there is both a bona fide business reason for the requests, and a verified identifiable destination for the currency.
With both the US and Israel supporting the Fatah government in the West Bank, and the Quartet continuing to decline to negotiate with Hamas for so long as it fails to repudiate terrorism, it is crucial that even inadvertent or negligent support of Hamas through funding assistance be avoided, lest censure, and severe fines and penalties be levied by regulators.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ * For further reading: Is Israel seeking to use Kerem Shalom Crossing to stop Hamas Bulk Cash Smuggling? World-Check 11 July, 2007.
The facts and opinions stated in this article are those of the author and not those of World-Check. World-Check does not warrant the accuracy of any facts and opinions stated in this article, does not endorse them, and accepts no responsibility for them.
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