{"id":26573,"date":"2023-12-13T14:36:10","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T14:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nftandcrypto-news.com\/crypto\/terrorism-israel-gaza-war-weaponized-to-destroy-crypto\/"},"modified":"2023-12-13T14:36:17","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T14:36:17","slug":"terrorism-israel-gaza-war-weaponized-to-destroy-crypto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nftandcrypto-news.com\/crypto\/terrorism-israel-gaza-war-weaponized-to-destroy-crypto\/","title":{"rendered":"Terrorism & Israel-Gaza war weaponized to destroy crypto"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Israel-Gaza war has once again thrown the spotlight on crypto, with anti-crypto politicians seizing on exaggerated reports of crypto being used to finance terrorism to introduce harsh new legislation with the potential to crush the industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three days after Hamas carried out its brutal Oct. 7 attack, The Wall Street Journal published an inflammatory article stating that in the past three years, U.S.-designated terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah had raised $134 million in crypto.<\/p>\n

The article \u2014 later corrected following an online backlash \u2014 became ammunition for the anti-crypto army in Washington, which cited it to push for ever greater restrictions on crypto.<\/p>\n

That came to a head over the past week with a bipartisan bill called the Terrorism Financing Prevention Act, introduced on Dec. 8. It obliges the Treasury to identify foreign financial institutions and crypto platforms that have knowingly conducted transactions with U.S.-designated terrorist outfits and enables it to impose sanctions to restrict U.S. bank accounts and block transactions.<\/p>\n

Senator Mitt Romney tied the bill specifically to the Israel-Gaza war:<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Oct. 7 attacks on Israel perpetrated by Hamas have made it more urgent and necessary for the U.S. to counter the role that cryptocurrency plays in the financing of terrorism.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The war has also given new impetus to Senator Elizabeth Warren\u2019s bipartisan Digital Asset AML Act (DAAMLA), which would extend the Bank Secrecy Act to cryptocurrencies. Five more senators signed up to cosponsor this bill on Dec. 11, and there are now 19 senators in total backing the legislation \u2014 or one in five senators \u2014 meaning it has gained serious traction. Galaxy\u2019s head of firmwide research, Alex Thorn, argues \u201cWarren\u2019s bill would effectively outlaw crypto in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thorn believes that despite Warren\u2019s poor record in getting bills passed, this one has a chance, given the \u201cpotent terrorism narrative post 10\/7\u201d and the \u201crazor-thin R majority in House makes hard to thwart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another earlier bill is also in play, the Crypto Asset National Security Enhancement (CANSEE) Act, which would dramatically increase surveillance over crypto transactions. <\/p>\n

Warren appeared on CNBC\u2019s Squawk Box last week to claim that all the major bank CEOs agreed with her on the need for urgent action.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe have a serious problem in this country,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd that is a part of the financial system is being used by terrorists, by drug traffickers, by rogue nations, in order to launder money, move money through the system and finance their illegal activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said Congress needed to update the Bank Secrecy Act to cover crypto \u201cbecause there\u2019s a new threat out there \u2014 it\u2019s crypto, and it is being used for terrorist financing. It is being used for drug trafficking. North Korea is using it to pay for about half of its nuclear weapons program. We can\u2019t allow that to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, cutting off funding to terrorists and preventing money laundering are laudable aims. But the unintended consequences (some argue they are intentional) pose a serious threat to the industry.<\/p>\n

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The Blockchain Association\u2019s Kristin Smith argues that applying the Bank Secrecy Act to crypto defeats \u201cthe entire purpose of blockchains\u201d and believes the legislative clampdowns would push the vast majority of the industry overseas.<\/p>\n

Referring to CANSEE and DAAMLA bills, Smith says, \u201cFollowing any crisis \u2014 or sensational media report \u2014 Washington feels the urge to do something, which is understandable,\u201d But, she warned:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf enacted, these bills would effectively destroy the American digital asset industry.\u201d<\/p>\n