German Bank Closes Account of Pro-Iran, Pro-Hezbollah Supporters

The German Commerzank has shut down the account of the al-Quds day demonstration—an annual march in German cities calling for the destruction of Israel—according to the bank’s spokesman.

In response to a Jerusalem Post press query, the spokesman told the Post on Tuesday by telephone that the bank “closed the account in September because of business conditions.”

He said the Commerzbank is permitted to discontinue an account “without providing reasons.”

After the mass-circulation Berlin daily BZ published a July column by popular columnist Gunnar Schupelius   titled “Israel haters collect money by Commerzbank,” Israel’s embassy sent a letter of complaint to the bank.

The spokesman said the bank started the process to shut the account after the Schupelius column “drew attention” to the collection of funds for the al-Quds day event.

“We are sorry that we did not contact the [Israeli embassy]” in response to the letter, said the spokesman, adding that the bank plans to “apologize” to the embassy.

International Quds Day – initiated by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s founder, in 1979 – calls for the obliteration of the Jewish state.

Schupelius, who has previously called for Berlin to outlaw the al-Quds day march, wrote that he first noticed the account information on July 11 that the al-Quds day activists advertised on their home page for financial sponsors. The pro-Iran regime and Hezbollah supporters listed the following account information: Commerzbank (IBAN: DE28100800000564455001).

Yakov Hadas-Handelsman, Israel’s ambassador to Germany, at the time slammed  the July 11 pro- al-Quds Day march in the German capital.

“It is a disgrace that in Germany a march full of hate, agitation and anti-Semitism can take place,” the top envoy said.

Schupelius wrote in his column that supporters of the regime screamed “Death to Israel, Death to America!” during their march in Berlin. He said that the protesters switched to Arabic and chanted “Curse the Jews and victory to Islam!”

Schupelius blasted Germany’s Economic Minister and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel for courting Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei and Iran’s regime as “friends.“ He wrote “that can’t be because they wish us death.” Gabriel visited Iran in July with a large German business delegation.

Schupelius concluded his column with the charge that “we are sleepwalkers” because we underestimate the dangers of Iran’s regime, which seeks an atomic bomb.

Benjamin Weinthal is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on Twitter @BenWeinthal