A group of American Palestinians who live in the occupied West Bank have filed a $34.5 billion lawsuit in a Washington court against several US businessmen, charities, companies and corporate profiteers who support the construction of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
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The case is brought by Bassem Al-Tamimi an activist and a resident of Nabi Saleh village, who also leads popular resistance against Israeli settlements in the village.
The plaintiffs seek damages from Sheldon Adelson, a Las Vegas casino magnate, Irving Moskowitz, a philanthropist with property interests in East Jerusalem, and evangelist John Hagee as well as charities like the Christian Friends of Israeli Communities and private firms, including Dead Sea-based cosmetics maker Ahava, UK-based security firm G4S and the industrial powerhouse Israel Chemicals Limited.
“This case is about US individuals and tax-exempt entities intent on taking criminal advantage of the US tax code by taking significant illegal tax write-offs and not reporting billions of dollars in contributions as income; and encouraging and funding wholesale violence and arms trafficking abroad and comprehensive war crimes in order to advance their own political agenda – getting rid of all non-Jews in the OPT [Occupied Palestinian Territories],” Martin McMahon and Associates, which filed the lawsuit, said in a statement published on its website.