10222

2003-08-21

03THEHAGUE2113
Embassy The Hague

SECRET

03STATE242722|03THEHAGUE1146|03THEHAGUE1548
S E C R E T THE HAGUE 002113

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/ESC/ESP/GLASS, S/CT (FOX), EUR/ERA(PARKER),
EUR/UBI (HOLLIDAY), IO/PHO (PEREZ), INR/EC
TREASURY FOR GENERAL COUNSEL (AUFHAUSER), TREASURY
(ZARATE), OFAC DIRECTOR (NEWCOMB), TASF FORCE ON TERRORIST
FINANCING
NSC FOR JMEYERS
JUSTICE FOR OIA/FRIEDMAN
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR LEGATT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/20/2018
TAGS: ETTC, EFIN, PTER, PREL, KVPR, CVIS, KPAL, NL, EUN
SUBJECT: TERRORIST FINANCE:THE HAGUE - NOTIFICATION OF
HAMAS NAMES

REF: A. STATE 242722
B. THE HAGUE 1548
C. THE HAGUE 1146

Classified By: Acting Economic Counselor Todd Kushner. Reason 1.5(b) a
nd (d)

1. (S) The GONL has responded to the August 19 suicide attack
in Jerusalem by calling on fellow EU members and the EU
Commission (via diplomatic demarche) to convene the EU
clearinghouse as quickly as possible in order to move forward
with designating Hamas. Because large numbers of European
officials are still on summer holidays, the Dutch do not
expect a clearinghouse meeting to be convened before early
September, but they think it is important to attempt to
jumpstart the process. Key to getting a positive EU decision
on Hamas, Dutch officials noted, will largely depend on the
positions taken by France and Belgium. Those member states
who may want to continue holding up the Hamas designation,
these officials speculated, may try to argue that the suicide
bombing was not a breech of the ceasefire by Hamas but
retaliation by Hamas for Israeli ceasefire violations. The
Dutch reject this argument.

2. (C) The Presidential announcement will be sufficient to
ensure the Hamas-related designations of August 21 can be
considered by the clearinghouse, according to the Dutch. The
case against each of the individuals and entities would be
considered separately. However, the willlingness of some EU
members to move forward will depend on the quality of
information in each individual dossier. The Dutch expect
that any EU designations of Hamas charities operating in
Europe will be challenged in court by those designated.

3. (C) Dutch officials were pleased by the U.S. indication
(ref a) that we do not want charitable activity in the
Palestinian territories to cease and that we want to explore
ways to ensure humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian
territories can continue to flow. The Netherlands has
previously stressed the importance it places on this point
(ref b,c) and would like to actively engage with us to find
ways for humanitarian assistance to flow. They have also
indicated to us the need to work with the Palestinian
Authority and international financial community to ensure
stricter control of all funds going into Palestinian
territory, including through wire transfers.
SOBEL