Family accuses Israel of caving in to Chinese pressure in terrorism case

JERUSALEM – An American family that is suing the Bank of China in a terrorism case has accused Israel of caving in to Chinese pressure by blocking a key witness from testifying.

The family of Daniel Wultz, a 16-year-old killed in a 2006 suicide bombing in Israel, says that Palestinian militant groups transferred millions of dollars through the government-owned Chinese bank, even after Israel warned it of the transactions. The family is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, claiming the bank ignored the warnings.

Last month, Israel prevented a former counterterrorism agent from testifying, citing unspecified security concerns.

In their court filing Tuesday, the family claimed that after years of support, Israel backed down under heavy Chinese pressure. It asked the court to allow the former security man to testify.