國際大閒話:以色列被指"屈服於中國壓力"
Benjamin Netanyahu faces a domestic political scandal with possible international repercussions after news emerged his government withdrew a witness in a US lawsuit brought on behalf of terrorism victims after facing pressure from China.
本雅明•內塔尼亞胡(Benjamin Netanyahu)面臨一場可能產生國際反響的國內政治醜聞，原因是他領導的政府據傳在中國的壓力下，從美國一起代表恐怖襲擊受害人的訴訟中撤回了一名證人。Yesterday, an Israeli government official and a lawyer representing the victims confirmed a newspaper report this weekend that the Chinese government threatened to cancel a visit by the Israeli prime minister to China in May if he allowed a former intelligence official to give evidence against the Bank of China in a New York court.
昨日，一名以色列政府官員和一名代表受害人的律師證實了上週末的一則報道，即中國政府曾發出威脅，如果內塔尼亞胡任由一名前情報官員在紐約一家法庭出庭作證，提供不利於中國銀行(Bank of China)的證詞，就會取消這名以色列總理在今年5月的訪華之行。Mr Netanyahu called Michael Oren, his US ambassador, back to Jerusalem for a meeting on Sunday after Yedioth Ahronoth, an Israeli newspaper, broke the story, which will be embarrassing for a politician who has made the fight against Islamist terror groups a hallmark of his three terms in office.
以色列《新消息報》(Yedioth Ahronoth)報道這件事之後，內塔尼亞胡週日把該國駐美大使邁克爾•奧倫(Michael Oren)叫回耶路撒冷開會商討。對於在三屆總理任期都把對抗伊斯蘭主義恐怖組織標榜爲自身特色的政治人物來說，這件事相當難堪。
The Israeli prime minister’s office declined to comment on the affair.
以色列總理辦公室拒絕評論此事。Lawyers representing families of 22 terror victims are bringing a suit in courts in New York in relation to a 2007 suicide bombing at a bakery in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, a 2008 shooting attack at a rabbinical seminary in Jerusalem and rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip on the southern city of Sderot.
代表22名恐怖襲擊受害人家屬的律師，正在紐約法庭提起訴訟，涉及2007年在以色列南方城市埃拉特(Eilat)一家麪包店發生的自殺式炸彈襲擊，2008年在耶路撒冷一所猶太教神學院發生的槍擊，以及從加沙地帶(Gaza Strip)對準以色列南方城市斯德洛特(Sderot)發射的火箭彈襲擊。They allege that the Bank of China, through its US branch, laundered funds intended for Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the militant groups active in Gaza, which both Israel and the US describe as terrorist groups.
他們稱，中行通過其美國分支機構，爲流向哈馬斯(Hamas)和伊斯蘭聖戰組織(Islamic Jihad)的資金進行洗錢操作。這兩個活躍在加沙地帶的武裝組織被以色列和美國都列爲恐怖組織。Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an attorney representing the victims, told the Financial Times that prosecutors had identified, with the help of Israeli security officials, an account held by a Palestinian living in Guangzhou, China, whom they allege sent $2m to $3m to Hamas and Islamic Jihad via Jordan.
代表受害人的律師尼特薩娜•達爾山-萊特納(Nitsana Darshan-Leitner)對英國《金融時報》表示，在以色列安全官員的協助下，檢察官指認出一名居住在中國廣州的巴勒斯坦人的一個賬戶，檢方稱，此人通過約旦向哈馬斯和以色列聖戰組織匯款200萬至300萬美元。The money was sent in dollars, routed through the Bank of China’s New York branch.
用美元匯出的這些資金由中行的紐約分支機構中轉。Prosecutors allege the money was used for supplies such as school beds and student uniforms sent to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, which were later sold to fund their organisations.
檢方稱，這些資金被用於採購學校宿舍牀和校服等供應品，併發往加沙地帶的哈馬斯和伊斯蘭聖戰組織，隨後出售，使這些組織獲得經費。Ms Darshan-Leitner said the antiterrorism division of Israel’s government met Chinese officials and asked them to close down the account, but were rebuffed.
達爾山-萊特納表示，以色列政府的反恐部門曾接觸中國官員，促請他們關閉那個賬戶，但遭到拒絕。She said the security services had approached her, asking her to file a suit against the Bank of China. The Shurat HaDin Israeli Law Center, for which Ms Darshan-Laitner works, brings litigation on behalf of victims killed by suicide bombings, rocket attacks and other terrorist incidents.
她表示，以色列安全部門隨即與她聯繫，讓她提起針對中國銀行的訴訟。達爾山-萊特納的工作單位——Shurat HaDin以色列法律中心——經常代表自殺式炸彈襲擊、火箭彈襲擊和其它恐怖主義事件的受害人提起訴訟。The group agreed, she said, on condition that a former intelligence official with knowledge of the alleged financial transactions would appear in court.
她表示，該法律中心同意提起訴訟，但條件是瞭解相關金融交易的一名前情報官員要出庭作證。“The deposition was supposed to take place around April, until Netanyahu was supposed to go to China,” Ms Darshan-Leitner said. “Because of pressure that was put on the Israeli government by the Chinese government before Netanyahu’s visit to China, the Israeli government decided not to allow the witness to testify.”
“原來安排在4月前後讓證人出庭，沒想到跟內塔尼亞胡出訪中國之行扯上了關係，”達爾山-萊特納表示。“由於內塔尼亞胡訪問中國之前，中國政府對以色列政府施加了壓力，因此以色列政府決定不讓該證人出庭作證。”The Bank of China, the country’s main institution for handling foreign exchange transactions, was not immediately available for comment yesterday.
中行是中國處理外匯交易的主要機構。記者昨日一時聯繫不上中行請其置評。
