Human Rights Alert (NGO)

Joseph Zernik, PhD PO Box 31440, Jerusalem 91313 josephzernik@humanrightsalertngo.org; 123456xyz@gmail.com;

13-02-01 Renouncing US citizenship

Below is discussion from the web site of the Isaac Brock Society (People of the US abroad) the original posting by this writer, and 40 comments. The postings on the web site document the widespread abuse of the Human Rights of US People abroad by the current US government, through denial of their right to renounce US citizenship, and by attempting to subject them to US law (FATCA and IRS regulations), while outside the United States. The discussion also documents the case of this writer, and the prevailing of his position - that once one performs his duties, relative to renunciation of US citizenship, one should be recognized by the government of any other nation as non-US citizen, whether or not the current US government choses to acknowledges that fact. The conduct of the current US government, in refusing to acknowledge the renunciation of citizenship by its own citizens, is out of compliance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 15. Attempts of the current US government to subject People of US abroad to US law, in particular, relative to FATCA and IRS regulations, are out of compliance with International Law. Overall conduct of the current US government in this matter reflects an attitude, which sees national citizenship as a relationship, similar to that of subject/royalty relationships in the dark ages.

Press Release: FATCA, Stanley Fischer complaint asks release of $250,000 seized of US Person by Israeli Bank HaPoalim
Published on January 7, 2013 by Petros in Issues regarding US persons abroad

13-01-03 PRESS RELEASE: FATCA, Stanley Fischer complaint asks release of $250,000 seized of US Person by Israeli Bank HaPoalim
The complaint asks the release of $250,000, unlawfully seized from US Person by the Israeli Bank HaPoalim, BM. The conduct has no foundation in either the law of the State of Israel, or the law of the United States, but appears to have been induced by Bank of Israels Stanley Fischer unparalleled, unconditional submission to the United States FACTA. Petition, previously filed with the Israeli High Court of Justice claimed that Fischer exchanged his loyalty to the State of Israel and its law with loyalty to another nation and its law, and/or loyalty to financial institutions and their interests. The case captures the financial crisis in a nutshell criminality by financial institution is patronized by national banking regulators and the national highest courts. In this case under the guise of compliance with United States law by Israeli banks. Eventually, the territory of FACTA-

compliance is likely to coincide with the territory of the financial crisis, through corruption of banking regulation of other nations, under United States coercion. Stanley Fischer, Governor of the Bank of Israel Israels Banking Regulator and Bilderberg Member, showing off his newly acquired Israeli ID in 2005; Supreme Court of the State of Israel, FATCA. View as PDF: View as blog post: http://inproperinla.blogspot.co.il/2013/01/13-01-03-press-release-fatcastanley.html Jerusalem, January 6 complaint, filed with Bank of Israel-Banking regulation, documents the seizing on January 1, 2013, of some $250,000 of US Persons funds, which were deposited with the Israeli Bank HaPoalim, BM. [1] The conduct of the Bank was purported by the Bank as part of its New Policy of compliance with the United States FACTA law in the State of Israel. Under such New Policy the Bank demanded that the customer, a US citizen living in Israel, sign Waiver of Privacy to the United States government of his financial transactions in an Israeli bank in Israel, which the customer refused to sign. In response, Bank HaPoalim now denies the customers access to the customers own deposit accounts, totaling some $250,000. The complaint also documents that: Bank HaPoalim in fact had no New Policy. The Bank refused to provide a copy of the policy record and stated that none existed. Bank HaPoalim refused to comply with pertinent United States Internal Revenue Regulations reporting to the account holder the total interest gained in his account on an annual basis (US IRS form 1099-Int) conduct that is inconsistent with honest banking as well. Bank HaPoalims conduct in seizing deposit accounts had no basis even in the purported US FATCA the act provides only for only withholding tax on income from US financial assets held at the Banks by non-compliant customers. petition, previously filed with the Israeli Supreme Court, sought to compel Governor of the Bank of Israel Stanley Fischer to perform his duties as banking regulator. The Court was asked to order Stanley Fischer to duly register and review a complaint, relative to conduct of Bank HaPoalim, BM, and its purported enforcement the United States FATCA in the State of Israel. [1] Today, staff of Bank of Israel confirmed receipt of the consumers complaint, filed by Joseph Zernik, PhD, of Human Rights Alert (NGO). Whether the complaint would ever be registered, be reviewed according to legal standards, and decision communicated to the complainant (as promised on the Bank of Israel web site for all complaints), remains to be seen. In August 2012, a previous complaint against Bank HaPoalim was filed by Dr Zernik, which documented unlawful, extortionist demands and threats by Bank HaPoalim, BM, under the guise of FATCA compliance. [2] For months Bank of Israel refused to inform the complainant, whether the complaint was registered and reviewed. Most recently, from conversations with Bank HaPoalim, Dr Zernik discovered that the Bank had received a decision from Bank of Israel on Dr Zerniks August 2012 complaint, which had been registered (No 82304-12), and that the Bank of Israel decision in part induced Bank

HaPoalims most recent unlawful actions. Regardless, Bank of Israel continues in its refusal to disclose any details on the matter to the complainant. [3] In October 2012, petition was also filed with the Israeli High Court of Justice to compel Mr Fischer to perform his duties by duly registering and reviewing the complaint against Bank HaPoalim. [4] The petition alleges that in permitting Israeli banks to act as they will under the pretense of enforcing the US FATCA, Stanley Fischer undermines the rule of law and sovereignty of the State of Israel, and substitutes his loyalty to the State of Israel and its laws with loyalty to another nation and its law, and/or with loyalty to financial institutions and their interests. [5] The petition in the Supreme Court of Israel was subjected to a fate that was remarkably similar to the fate of the complaint against Bank HaPoalim, BM, at Bank of Israel-Banking Regulation: The office of the clerk of the Supreme Court refused to duly register the petition. [6] The case of Bank HaPoalim is particularly striking, since in previous years Mr Fischer had removed some of the Banks senior officers and initiated criminal investigations against them. Now Mr Fischer is patronizing their criminality. The case of Mr Fischer is also striking, since review of Israeli media reports indicates that under his tenure Bank of Israel was determined, even prior to the final enactment of FATCA, that the matter was not under its purview, and that Bank of Israel refused to issue Banking Regulations of the State of Israel in this matter, even after being pressed to do so by Israeli banks. [7] Combined, conduct of Mr Fischer, Bank of Israel-Banking Regulation, and the Supreme Court of the State of Israel should raise concerns regarding integrity and stability of financial systems in the State of Israel. Corruption of banking regulation in collusion with the US courts, under the color of law, has been increasingly recognized as central to the current socio-economic crisis in the United States. [8, and see quotes below] The State of Israel has not yet seen financial institutions defaults of the size, seen in the US and Europe in recent years. However, the case captures a snapshot of emergence of the basic conditions for a financial crisis, in a nutshell: Criminality by financial institutions is patronized by national banking regulators and the national highest courts. In this case under the guise of compliance with United States law by Israeli banks. Eventually, the territory of FACTA-compliance is likely to coincide with the territory of the financial crisis, through corruption of banking regulation of other nations, under United States coercion. LINKS: [1] 13-01-04 FATCA-related Consumer Complaint No 2 against Bank HaPoalim, BM, and its Chief Internal Auditor Jacob Orbach, filed with Bank of Israel-Banking Regulation http://www.scribd.com/doc/118926904/ [2] 12-08-25 Dr Zerniks complaint, filed with Israeli banking regulation against Bank HaPoalim for attempting to extort compliance with US IRS regulations in Jerusalem http://es.scribd.com/doc/103922991/ [3] 13-01-03 Letter to Stanley Fischer, Bank of Israel Governor RE- request for immediate production of records re FATCA-related complaint against Bank HaPoalim, BM http://www.scribd.com/doc/118792468/

[4] 12-10-23 PRESS RELEASE Petition alleges Bank of Israel Fischer patronizes criminality at Bank HaPoalim, BM http://www.scribd.com/doc/110868267/ [5] 12-10-23 Joseph Zernik v Stanley Fischer (7650/12) Petition in the High Court of Justice of the State of Israel. http://www.scribd.com/doc/112418672/ http://www.scribd.com/doc/110868553/ [6] 12-12-27 PRESS RELEASE FATCA, Stanley Fischer, and Chief Clerk Sarah Lifschitz in the High Court of Justice of the State of Israel http://www.scribd.com/doc/118152545/ [7] 13-01-06 FATCA United States Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (2011) Israel and other nations responses compilation of media reports http://www.scribd.com/doc/111468857/ [8] Zernik, J, Large-scale fraud in US court records is linked to failing banking regulation _ OpEdNews http://www.opednews.com/articles/Large-scale-fraud-in-US-co-by-Joseph-Zernik-120925643.html _____________ Joseph Zernik, PhD < josephzernik@humanrightsalertngo.org> Sent from 1984, Iceland-based Internet Service Provider _____________ Human Rights Alert (NGO) * United States the 2010 submission of Human Rights Alert to the Human Rights Council (HRC) of the United Nations was reviewed and incorporated in the official HRC Professional Staff Report with a note referring to corruption of the courts and the legal profession and discrimination by law enforcement in California. [1] 10-10-01 United Nations Human Rights Council Records for 2010 Review (UPR) of Human Rights in the United States, where Human Rights Alert (NGO) submission was incorporated with a note referring to corruption of the courts and the legal profession and discrimination by law enforcement in California. http://www.scribd.com/doc/38566837/ * State of Israel the 2012 submission of Human Rights Alert to the HRC, titled, Integrity, or lack thereof, of the electronic record systems of the courts of the State of Israel, is scheduled for review in January 2013. [1] 12-06-04 Human Right Alerts Submission; 2013 UPR of the State of Israel: Integrity, or lack thereof, of the electronic record systems of the courts of the State of Israel http://www.scribd.com/doc/92826212/ [2] 12-05-10 Appendix I to Human Right Alerts Submission; 15th UPR State of Israel: Integrity, or lack thereof, of the electronic record systems of the courts of the State of Israe http://www.scribd.com/doc/108663259/ [3] 12-07-18 Human Right Alerts Appendix II to Submission; 2013 UPR of the State of Israel: Integrity, or lack thereof, in the electronic record systems in the courts of the State of

Israel - Additional Responses by National Authorities/Experts, Re: ComSign, LTD sole certifier and hacker of the digital signatures of the State of Israel http://www.scribd.com/doc/108662869/ _____ Human Rights Alert online: http://inproperinla.blogspot.com/ Flag Counter: 145 http://www.scribd.com/Human_Rights_Alert Total Reads: 1,007,042 Followers: 1,640 http://www.scribd.com/SeyagLizhuyotHaadam Total Reads: 45,147 http://twitter.com/inproperinla http://www.liveleak.com/user/jz12345 Total Item Views: 664,803+500,065 http://www.examiner.com/x-38742-LA-Business-Headlines-Examiner http://www.facebook.com/joseph.zernik Facebook Friends: 5,000 http://www.opednews.com/author/author81971.html http://www.opednews.com/author/author42343.html ____________________________ Occupy! 11-12-10 Where should Occupy go next? Civil Disobedience in the footsteps of Thoreau and Gandhi! http :// www.scribd.com/doc/75348301/ 12-06-08 Courts and Judges as racketeering enterprises under RICO (the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) key element in the current financial crisis http://www.scribd.com/doc/96504009/ Secede! The US in its current form is simply unmanageable 12-01-01 Secession A Smart Business Move! http://www.scribd.com/doc/76877453/ Get Up, stand up, stand up for your rights! _____________________________ Take away justice, then, and what are governments but great bandit bands? Saint Augustine, Civitas Dei (City of God,4.4) _____________________________ WHAT DID THE EXPERT SAY ABOUT THE CURRENT FINANCIAL CRISIS? * I think its difficult to find a fraud of this size on the U.S. court system in U.S. history, said Raymond Brescia, a visiting professor at Yale Law School who has written articles analyzing the role of courts in the financial crisis. I cant think of one where you have literally tens of thousands of fraudulent documents filed in tens of thousands of cases. Reuters (Jan 22, 2012) http://www.scribd.com/doc/79572282/ * Foreclosure fraud: The homeowner nightmares continue CNN (April 7, 2011)

* About 3 million homes have been repossessed since the housing boom ended in 2006 That number could balloon to about 6 million by 2013 Bloomberg (January 2011) * a system in which only the little people have to obey the law, while the rich, and bankers especially, can cheat and defraud without consequences. Prof Paul Krugman, MIT (2011) http://www.scribd.com/doc/50753639/ _____________________________ WHAT DID THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA? * judges tried and sentenced a staggering number of people for crimes they did not commit. Prof David Burcham, Dean, Loyola Law School, LA (2001) http://www.scribd.com/doc/29043589/ * This is conduct associated with the most repressive dictators and police states and judges must share responsibility when innocent people are convicted. Prof Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, Irvine Law School (2001) http://www.scribd.com/doc/27433920/ * Innocent people remain in prison * the LA Superior Court and the DA office, the two other parts of the justice system that the Blue Panel Report recommends must be investigated relative to the integrity of the system, have not produced any response that we know of LAPD Blue Ribbon Review Panel Report (2006) http://www.scribd.com/doc/24902306 / _____________________________ WHAT DID THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN CALIFORNIA? * corruption of the courts and the legal profession and discrimination by law enforcement in California. United Nations Human Rights Council Staff Report (2010) http://www.scribd.com/doc/38566837/ _____________________________ WHAT DID THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THE STATE COURTS IN THE UNITED STATES? * On July 26, 2010, Laurence Tribe, Senior Counsel for the United States Department of Justice, Access to Justice Initiative, delivered an important speech to the Conference of Chief Justices, challenging them to halt the disintegration of our state justice systems before they become indistinguishable from courts of third world nations. Prof Laurence Tribe, Harvard Law School (2010), per National Defender Leadership Institute (2010) http://www.nlada.net/library/article/national_dojspeechto%20chiefjustice07-262010_gideonalert _____________________________ WHAT DID THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THE CONDITIONS IN THE PRISON IN MONROE COUNTY, TENESSEE? * What goes on there is more like gulags of centuries ago. ACLU http://www.scribd.com/doc/72546279/ _____________________________

WHAT DID THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES? * More than 100 law professors have signed on to a letter released today that proposes congressional hearings and legislation aimed at fashioning mandatory and enforceable ethics rules for Supreme Court justices for the first time. The effort, coordinated by the liberal Alliance for Justice, was triggered by recent media reports, the letter said, apparently referring to stories of meetings and other potential conflicts of interest involving Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas among others. More than 100 law professors, as reported by the Blog of the Legal Times (February 2011) http://www.scribd.com/doc/49586436/ _____________________________ WHAT DID CHIEF JUDGE OF THE US COURT OF APPEALS, 5TH CIRCUIT, SAY ABOUT THE US JUSTICE SYSTEM? * The American legal system has been corrupted almost beyond recognition Chief Judge, US Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, Edith Jones, speaking before the Federalist Society of Harvard Law School (February 2003) http://www.scribd.com/doc/50137887/ _____________________________ WHAT DID THE CHAIR OF THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE SAY ABOUT THE US JUSTICE SYSTEM? * In a speech in Georgetown University, Senator Leahy, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee called for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission on the US Department of Justice. Transcript of Senator Leahy speech (2009) http://www.scribd.com/doc/38472251/
Tags: Bank HaPoalim, Stanley Fischer

Breaking News on the DOJ and S... Racist anti-citizenship bill? ...
40 Comments

40 Responses

1.

Just Me
January 7, 2013 at 1:41 pm

@Petros I know you copy and pasted that from another thread. Any chance you could edit it with some spacing for readability even though the authors didnt do it in the first place. thnx :) Here is the press release that first caught my attention.

2.

Petros
January 7, 2013 at 3:46 pm

When you copy and paste things like this they look ok on the edit screen, and then you publish it and it looks terrible. I dont have time to do it, because it will resist fix without first stripping the codes and the reformatting everything.

3.

usxcanada
January 7, 2013 at 4:13 pm

So stuff put up at Brock can look bad as long as the content is acceptable? Brock wont lose respect or not be taken seriously for looking like junk? One more job for the janitorial invisible moderator make sure Brock looks spiffy where commenters and posters have not.

4.

Petros
January 7, 2013 at 6:20 pm

@USX, I have in the past spent considerable time fixing posts (not just my own but those of other writers). I might not have time to do some minor formatting changes, as I said, this sort of issue resists changes.

5.

Just Me
January 7, 2013 at 7:07 pm

@Petros Understand. If there is anything I can do to help, let me know? I might find the time.

6.

Jefferson D. Tomas
January 8, 2013 at 3:30 am

@Petros @Justme @USX I try to make my posts look clean, but sometimes I have to go back multiple times (and once posted, the editor version changes, especially for comments).

One trick is to prepare in Word, then strip out the formatting by pasting to Notepad. Has anyone tried saving in Webpage, Filtered from Word? But then I think there would be plenty of header information to strip. How about these:

http://www.wphub.com/visual-composer-wordpress-plugin/ http://codecanyon.net/item/visual-composer-for-wordpress/242431 http://www.wpexplorer.com/wordpress-shortcodes-page-builders Also how about using MS Word New Blog Post Template?

7.

Jefferson D. Tomas
January 8, 2013 at 3:43 am

Ok, I successfully connected to IBS from WORD and published the posthttp://isaacbrocksociety.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=15145&action=edit The post appeared near the top of the home page (Below FATCA fact finding) and appeared correctly, along with the graphics. I immediately moved the post to Draft (Using my Author priviledges) but you can still preview it using the URL above. The problem with this method is that it only works for new threads, not for comments, as far as I can tell You have to create a new document using the Blog Post Template (I have Word 2007, but I bet it will work in subsequent versions). Blog post URL is http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/xmlrpc.php I opted to store pictures at the provider, and it appeared to work. I tell you what, I will try to make my next new thread with word, and see how it goes. The message one gets when connecting with word about the username and PWD not being secure doesnt surprise me. After all we do not have https:// (SSL) activated on the site. What we need for editing comments is an HTML editor that will just create snippets without page headers.

8.

Jefferson D. Tomas
January 8, 2013 at 4:23 am

You can also Post to IBS as Draft, that works, and it appears in the posts lists of the admin page, but not on the real site. I tried using this to generate WordPress code that I could subsequently copy to a comment post, but it didnt work.

9.

Jefferson D. Tomas
January 8, 2013 at 4:29 am

I tried using Open Office HTML document this worked for formatting bolds and underlines, but did not work for indents and tables

10.

Jefferson D. Tomas
January 8, 2013 at 5:17 am

You can also use ScribeFire for FireFox, and Windows Live Writer. They work a bit like the MS Word feature, except you can also browse posts and topics. But they appear to work only for Posts starting new Threads, not for comments. Which is very discouraging, because the wordwrap often gets messed up when copying text to a new comment, and once posted, the online editor changes to a different version where it is very difficult to work. I for one sometimes reply in a comment and include blockquotes and indents and other things. I have an easier time if it is a post that I own (because I can use a better online WP editor) but it if it is not my thread I get stuck with the poor editor once I post the initial version and decide to go back within 30 minutes and clean up the formatting. Petros & Pacifica you can copy my previous few comments and delete them or consolidate them into one comment. Sorry for cluttering this thread, but someone started on the issue of formatting, so I thought I would try to help.

11.

Edelweiss
January 8, 2013 at 12:27 pm

Its not particularly clear from the press release or the January 2013 complaint what this is about. The August 2012 complaint and attachments are useful background information. It would appear that Dr. Zernik has had his account frozen (seized might be premature) because he did not sign the waiver letter presented to him in August 2012 in which he would undertake a) to pay US income tax on that or any subsequent accounts b) to file FBAR c) to provide the bank with Schedule B or the FBAR schedule on request and d) to provide a signed W-9. The Hapoalim undertaking/waiver seems to be unusually aggressive. All they really need is the W-9 and the waiver to provide the relevant info to the IRS. Why do they need an undertaking from the account holder to file US taxes and FBAR and copies, on request, of FBAR and Schedule B. Surely that responsibility rests squarely with Dr. Zernik. I certainly wouldnt want any of my bank account providers to have my FBAR or Schedule B.

It will be interesting to see how this gets resolved. Is Dr. Zernik the first known recalcitrant account holder? I hope Prof. Christians is following this one as I had thought she said that the procedure was to close the recalcitrant account holders account. If this is in the process of happening, I dont understand why Hapoalim wouldnt tell Dr. Zernik that his account was in the process of being closed as opposed to frozen. Could it be that Hapoalims policy is that you sign the waiver or you dont get your money?

12.

Edelweiss
January 8, 2013 at 1:14 pm

Apologies, I got the terminology wrong and missed the edit deadline. I just looked again at the decision tree in Prof. Christians presentation and you become a recalcitrant account holder if you sign the waiver and agree to provide the information but ultimately dont provide it. Dr. Zernik, I believe, refused to sign the waiver. The decision tree indicates that the account should then be closed but, instead, it appears to have been frozen.

13.

Just Me
January 9, 2013 at 6:11 am

@Edelweiss, You ask good questions. Why Hapoalim is taking these actions when they havent even signed up yet, as a PFFI, is a mystery to me. Just an aggressive stand by some local management due to misunderstandings of FATCA requirements not yet in place? Or like the illegal mortgage foreclosure process mess in America, loan officers dont know what they hell the requirements are and just act stupidly without much upper management oversight of how their actions are contravening existing law. I hope this creates a BIG Stink in Israel so that it gets a lot of media play, and this gentlemens funds are released. I am wonder what portion of the story we dont know?

14.

Just Me
January 10, 2013 at 7:05 am

This from @Mark Twain http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2012/01/13/ask-your-questions-about-fatca-discussionthread/comment-page-32/#comment-136122 IRS ramps up audits of taxpayers in Israel Accountants warn financial reviews by U.S. authority here are at an all-time high.

15.

Just Me
January 11, 2013 at 2:47 pm

The Long Arm of the #IRS and #FATCA comes to Israeli shores. What does #AIPAC Think? http://lnkd.in/cz_X6J&nbsp;

16.

Just Me
January 15, 2013 at 5:35 pm

pacifica777January 15, 2013 at 3:33 pm The following is the beginning of a comment made by Joseph Zernik, originally posted here on the FATCA thread an hour ago. However, I moved the entire comment to the Consulate Report Directory thread as the subject matter of his question and the bulk of his comment deals with his consulate experiences. Please note his summary points (1), (4) and (5) concerning FATCA. 13-01-15 Ongoing honest services fraud by the Jerusalem, Jerusalem Consulate of the United States, in re: Administration of Oath of Renunciation of US Citizenship. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. In particular, I am interested in hearing from others that were denied the right to take the Oath of Renunciation of US Citizenship, and how they may have handled the situation. Joseph Zernik, PhD Human Rights Alert (NGO) 123456xyz@gmail.com Summary The case below shows the real nature of FATCA, a law that has not been promulgated, that conflicts with the laws of other nations, and which promotes lawlessness and deprivation of rights of US citizens abroad. 1) on January 1, 2013, my accounts in the Israeli Bank HaPoalim, holding some $250,000 were seized. These accounts had no investments in securities, US or otherwise, and had no reporting duty. Regardless, the total funds in the accounts were seized by the bank with no basis in the law of either Israel or the United States. 2) On January 7, 2013 I appeared for a scheduled appointment in the US Consulate, Jerusalem for renunciation of US citizenship. I was interviewed by a person, who represented himself as Consul Kirk G Smith. Another appointment was scheduled for January 14, 2013, for administration of the oath of renunciation. 3) On January 14, 2013, I appeared before Consul Kirk G Smith for the administration of the oath of renunciation. Upon review of the conduct and records, one would conclude that the Consulate in Jerusalem engaged in fraud, through the deliberate administration of invalid oath of renunciation, and the issuance of simulated records. 4) On January 14, 2013, I tried to open a new account with the Israeli Bank HaPoalim, as a non US citizen, and my request was denied. The Bank refuses to respond in writing, or on what legal basis.

5) On January 14, and January 15, 2013, I tried to open a new account with the Israeli Bank Leumi. My request was denied, and the Bank refuses to provide written explanation, why my request is denied. Some suggest that it is retaliation for my social activism. Maybe, but such lawless conduct would never have been possible absent the false appearance of legality under FATCA. The true nature of FATCA has not much to do with tax collection, but as a means to control the banks of other nations and in particular, to unlawfully control US citizens abroad. The striking feature of FATCA in this story is how well FATCA works, only days after the date of its purported effectiveness, in conjunction with various other unlawful fraud and retaliation measures by the US government. continued on Consulate Report Directory thread. The remainder of Josephs comment deals with his consulate experience. So, please reply to that on that thread. And please reply to the FATCA aspect here. Thanks!

17.

John Brown
January 20, 2013 at 10:44 pm

HAARETZ: Israeli banks demanding to see U.S. citizens tax returns In a move that some tax lawyers are calling a blatant violation of customer privacy, two Israeli banks are requiring current and prospective account holders with American citizenship to furnish portions of their U.S. tax returns. Those who refuse to do so risk having their applications denied, or their existing bank accounts frozen. http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/anglo-file/israeli-banks-demanding-to-see-u-scitizens-tax-returns-1.473899 STEP Journal: Israel may seek special treatment on FATCA According to the Tel Aviv newspaper Haaretz, Israeli banks are already writing to their USA-national clients to warn them of the banks FATCA reporting obligations. One such bank Leumi has apparently told clients with USA citizenship that their accounts will be frozen at the beginning of May unless they confirm that the IRS knows about their bank accounts in Israel. Another bank, Hapoalim, has also requested American customers to make the same declaration, while other banks are even asking clients to provide documentary proof of their USA tax compliance. http://www.stepjournal.org/news/news/main_story/israel_may_seek_special_treatm.as px?link=news_headline&j=31051&e=wood@woodporter.com&l=346_HTML&u=10403 50&mid=1062735&jb=0 Jewish Press: Israel, US to Exchange Tax Information, Banking Secrecy Disregarded According to Globes, Israel Tax Authority director general Doron Arbeli last week met Internal Revenue Service (IRS) acting commissioner Steven Miller to advance this effort. Should an agreement be signed, Israel will establish an organization to monitor and enable the transfer of the necessary information to the U.S., and the IRS will send to Israel details of bank accounts belonging to Israeli residents in the U.S. http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/israel-us-to-exchange-taxinformation-banking-secrecy-disregarded/2012/12/13/

18.

calgary411
January 20, 2013 at 11:11 pm

Blatant indeed. According to the Tel Aviv newspaper Haaretz, Israeli banks are already writing to their USA-national clients to warn them of the banks FATCA reporting obligations. One such bank Leumi has apparently told clients with USA citizenship that their accounts will be frozen at the beginning of May unless they confirm that the IRS knows about their bank accounts in Israel. Another bank, Hapoalim, has also requested American customers to make the same declaration, while other banks are even asking clients to provide documentary proof of their USA tax compliance. Thanks for this comment, John Brown. A missing piece of the puzzle re Joseph Zerniks situation.

19.

AbusedExpat
January 20, 2013 at 11:21 pm

It seems like the FATCA squeeze has started in Israel. Many renunciations will follow!

20.

Just Me
January 21, 2013 at 12:00 am

I have wondered about this increasing offshore tax evasion focus on Israel. Others have said that evasion by Israelis is worse than American, and thus they want FATCA. Are we sure they know what they are getting? Every time I hear an Israeli interviewed on the news these days he sounds American, and I wonder immediately what his compliance status is. The US wants all the records of all the Americans living in Israel and all the Americans in America who have funds in Israeli banks. Israel, on the other hand, only wants information of all the Israelis living in Israel that have funds in the US, but not on those that are resident in America. US banks are supposed to sort that out via IRS bulletin 2012-20. There isnt such a concept of Israeli citizenship tax, is there? So, which country has the biggest proportion of its citizens living in each others countries, and which stands to gain or lose the most from their treasury and economy from this coming FATCA IGA so called reciprocity? I assume Israel will want a FATCA IGA

I think Israel loses, but hasnt figured it out yet. More so now when the Obamacare tax on Americans abroad kicks in this year, and when penalties are factored into the non compliance of U.S. Citizens living in the Holy Land. When America starts going hard after those long time US Citizens in Israel (I have heard numbers from 100,000 300,000) living within its security fence, might that not create some unease? Or do you think more Israelis are hiding money in America and so the reciprocal impacts are in their favor? The two states are so intertwined, culturally, emotionally, religiously and by treaty. I just have to think at some point this becomes a political issue, especially when someone of prominence gets gored. With no love loss between Obama and Bibi, if it is seen that O is persecuting Israelis on Israel soil, that might not be so kindly taken by Bibi who reportedly favored Romney in the last election. What do you think? What does AIPAC think? Interesting to watch. Time will tell.

21.

usxcanada
January 21, 2013 at 1:11 am

Based on Brock traffic, Israel now seems to be emerging as extraterritorial flashpoint #3, with Switzerland perhaps #1 and Canada perhaps #2. This ranking is intuitive and based mainly on period of emergence. Maybe some stats geek could have fun tabulating (a) estimated total persons for each country (b) that estimate as % of estimated world total. To go further typologize the factors contributing to ignition, and project the critical masses yet to start radiating.

22.

BenPloni
January 21, 2013 at 2:16 am

@Just MeThere are ~100,000 Israeli citizens in the US, and about twice as many Americans in Israel. Israel, like most sane countries, has resident based taxation so Israelis abroad dont have filing obligations. Israel does have an FBAR/FATCA type rule for its own residents that they must report foreign accounts, but the threshold is around $500,000 IIRC and of course only applies to locals. Still, Im sure the ITA (israeli tax authority) would love to get their hands on that data. Id also add that while Israel has traditionally had tough bank secrecy laws, Israel is more like Canada than Switzerland in that the taxes here are very high. However there is no gift or estate taxes here. (But there is 17% VAT)

23.

Just Me
January 21, 2013 at 6:59 am

BenPloni

Thanks for that insight. So, again just wondering who has the most to gain or lose from a reciprocity deal, the US or Israel? I think it might be Israel when the tax revenues flow outward back to the U.S. If Israel started taxing those 100,000 Israeli citizens in the US, I am sure there would be loud complaints in America, and just wondering if the same will occur in Israel when it finally dawns on them what this FATCA is all about. Will be watching for more stories

24.

BenPloni
January 21, 2013 at 11:08 am

@Justmepeople are asleep here insofar as I can tell vis-a-vis FBAR/FATCAits only the banks telling them they have to fill out W9s etc that are starting to wake them up (and they are obviously not FBAR compliant. I see lots of problems coming down the pipe in the next few years when people start waking up. Although, having spoken to more than one, I can say from their initial reaction that the IRS can go <bleep bleep> For the top 5 American Diaspora countries, I saw: 1. Mexico (1.04 million) 2. Canada (687,000) 3. UK (224,000) 4. Germany (211,000) 5. Israel (184,000) Im surprised we havent heard more from Mexico on here..

25.

badger
January 21, 2013 at 11:26 am

@BenPloni, glad to have participation by readers offering information from Israel and other countries. Re: surprised we havent heard more from Mexico on here. We have wondered too. Particularly re the issue of fideicomisos , ex. http://hodgen.com/category/fideicomiso/which seem just as problematic and punitively treated by the US, as some of the Canadian specific examples that we focus on simply because those are the ones that many of us know the most about at firsthand. Unfortunately, without authors, or comments from readers from other countries, we dont know enough about the intricate details and the politics of other contexts, and so face challenges to broadening the information and advocacy efforts here. Unilingualism is also a barrier, though we have been very lucky in having some multilingual readers and bloggers who have gathered and shared information here in several languages and from non-English sources. It may be that keeping Canada from signing an IGA, or challenging our own government in the event that it signs, may in the end help other countries as an

object lesson since we have so many duals (second to Mexico), and the most extensive existing reciprocal tax treaty with the US. Older Comments

26.

Christophe

January 21, 2013 at 12:07 pm

In addition to these numbers you need to add the green carders and dual citizens living in the US, that have maintained banking relationships with their countries of origin. Again, Canada and Mexico probably come first. They might be more difficult to pinpoint by their banks in their home countries as having US indicia though, and I expect that many of those wont be caught by FATCA. But the consequences for those who will will be more severe than non residents. Shadow Raider pointed out from the latest US census data that there are approximately 800,000 canadians living in the US. I havent lookup Mexican nationals, but I think it might be higher. As for the reason why Mexico has not been very vocal about it, its probably the country that has the most interest and the most to gain from a reciprocal agreement, with all the drug money laundered in the US by Mexican nationals.

27.

pacifica777
January 21, 2013 at 12:49 pm

@ BenPioni, I echo Badger. I, too am glad to have your participation here. Weve been hearing a fair bit about the situation of US persons in Israel through newspaper articles but its great to get insight directly. Thanks.

28.

Just Me
January 21, 2013 at 8:29 pm

@BenPloni people are asleep here insofar as I can tell vis-a-vis FBAR/FATCA Same down here, but I have shaken a few awake just the past couple days. What they do with the information has yet to be told, but I do think there is similar sentiments like you express that the the IRS can go <bleep bleep> We shall see what happens. I think we are witnessing something revolutionary in terms of global hegemony related to Tax Compliance. GATCA is coming, and escaping the BIG DATA world that technological advances allows, will be come more and more difficult in the future. How the politics of this eventually shake out will be interesting to watch. I think, and you can correct me, but the back lash from Israel has the potential to be significant. I

can understand passive acquiesce in the Pacific, but in Israel, will that be the case? Maybe. You tell me.

29.

Em
January 21, 2013 at 9:00 pm

Things are not so great in the homeland either. The following video is quite chilling

Rampant Injustice V2 Curtis Coleman, Chairman of Constitutional Policy http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z8mkqI_dVJg

30. Joseph Zernik
January 24, 2013 at 8:20 pm

13-03-24 FATCA: Bank of Israel Stanley Fischer establishes fabricated US banking laws in Jerusalem

Bank of Israel Israels banking regulator, Stanley Fischer showing off his newly acquired Israeli ID in 2005, and Bank HaPoalim, BM, logo. Complaint #3, filed with Bank of Israel against Bank HaPoalim, BM, details the refusal of the Bank to permit cash withdrawal from customers own funds, with no foundation in any law. Bank of Israel has so far refused for over half a year to provide written confirmation of receipt of the complaints on FATCA-related matters, of responses by Bank HaPoalim, or of determinations on the complaints by Bank of Israel, if any. Likewise, Bank of Israel has so far refused to confirm receipt of a Freedom of Information request by the complainant, pertaining to Bank of Israel records of his own complaints. The Supreme Court of Israel refused to duly register petition to compel Stanley Fischer to perform his duties, pursuant to the law of the State of Israel. The petition alleges that Stanley Fischer exchanged his loyalty to the State of Israel and its laws with loyalty to another nation and its laws, and/or loyalty to financial institutions and their interests. "A Washington, DC, attorney, who specializes in FATCA-related matters opined that conduct of Bank HaPoalim and the Israeli authorities in this matter has nothing to do with FATCA, and is likely to be retaliatory measures against a Human Rights activist. Conditions, documented in this case, show how Stanley Fischer, like his student

Bernanke, placed banks as untouchables, above the law. Such conditions must raise concerns regarding integrity and stability of the Israeli financial system. LINKS: [1] 12-08-25 Dr Zerniks Complaint #1, filed with Israeli banking regulation against Bank HaPoalim for attempting to extort compliance with US IRS regulations in Jerusalem http://es.scribd.com/doc/103922991/ [2] 13-01-04 FATCA-related Consumer Complaint No 2 against Bank HaPoalim, BM, and its Chief Internal Auditor Jacob Orbach, filed with Bank of Israel-Banking Regulation http://www.scribd.com/doc/118926904/ [3] 13-01-24 Complaint No 3 Against Bank HaPoalim, filed with Bank of Israel, alleging organized corporate crime http://www.scribd.com/doc/122010443/ [4] 13-01-08 Freedom of Information on Bank of Israel, in re complaints filed with Bank of Israel by Dr Joseph Zernik against Bank HaPoalim, BM http://www.scribd.com/doc/119446776/ [5] 12-12-27 PRESS RELEASE FATCA, Stanley Fischer, and Chief Clerk Sarah Lifschitz in the High Court of Justice of the State of Israel http://www.scribd.com/doc/118152545/ EXCERPT FROM COMPLAINT NO 3 Recent Chronology i. The undersigned, Dr Joseph Zernik is a German and an Israeli citizen (no longer a US citizen). ii. On January 23, 2013, the undersigned provided Bank HaPoalim, BM, notice of intent to withdraw on January 24, 2013, cash from his funds, held by Bank HaPoalim in deposit accounts (copy enclosed below). The notice also requested that the Bank inform the undersigned in advance in case he would not be permitted to withdraw his own money. iii. On January 23, 2013, receipt of the undersigned notice was confirmed by the following Bank employees: Efrat Dahan, Mordechai Assouline (Deputy Branch Manager),Drora Bregman, Maya Amzallag (Branch Manager), Maya Shulyatsky, Shalom Barashi. iv. On January 24, 2013, in the early evening, the undersigned appeared in the Beit HaKerem Branch and asked to withdraw NIS 20,000 from his deposit accounts. The undersigned was made to wait for a while, and eventually Deputy Branch Manager Mordechai Assouline informed him that the undersigned was not permitted to withdraw any of his own money, held by the Bank. v. It should be noted that regardless of repeated requests, the Bank refuses to provide any written notice regarding the nature of its current conduct, its legal foundation (if any), and the status of the undersigneds account. Allegations It is by now evident that Bank HaPoalims conduct in this matter, as detailed in Complaint #1, filed with Bank of Israel on August 25, 2012, in Complaint #2, filed with Bank of Israel on January 4, 2013, and in instant Complaint, is unlawful: i. Such conduct has no basis in the law of the State of Israel. ii. Such conduct has no basis in the law of the United States (as falsely claimed by the Bank) opinion on this matter by a Washington, DC- based attorney, who specializes in FATCA-related matters, is available upon request. iii. Correspondence with the Banks Chief Internal Auditor clarifies that the Banks FATCA-related new policy is a fabrication as well no such record exists. [1-4]

Therefore, the undersigned alleges that Bank HaPoalim, BM, and its Chief Internal Auditor Jacob Orbach are engaged in various violations of the law of the State of Israel, including, but not limited to: i. Unlawful seizing of the undersigneds funds in deposit accounts: Conduct of the Bank has no basis in the law of the State of Israel. Moreover, it has no basis in the law of the United States either. The law of the United States, which the Bank purports to enact and enforce in the State of Israel, does not permit a bank to seize a customers accounts. At most, the relevant United States law permits a bank to withhold 30% of interest gained on United States securities of the account holder. The undersigned holds no United States securities at all. ii. Unlawfully causing the undersigned to incur interest charges on his checking account. iii. Large-scale banking fraud: The Bank falsely claims to have adopted a FATCArelated New Policy. The Banks own response indicates that no such lawfully adopted Bank policy exists. Under such false and deliberately misleading statements, regarding the Banks FACTA-related New Policy, the Bank engages in unlawful, harmful conduct. iv. Entrapment: The Bank extorts filing of United States Internal Revenue (IRS) tax returns by the Banks US Persons customers in Israel, while refusing to provide the same customers the necessary documentation, pursuant to the same IRS Regulations. Conduct of the Bank is likely to trigger IRS audits of such individuals, who submit to the Banks extortion and cause them additional harm. v. Refusal of the Bank to report to the customer the total interest gained in his account (no reporting at all was provided for foreign currency accounts, and regarding NIS deposits the Bank refuses to provide a single total sum of interest gained during the calendar year, as required by IRS regulations), stands contrary to any notion of honest banking in the State of Israel. vi. Undermining the rule of law and publicity of the law in the State of Israel: The Bank falsely claims to have established a secret, unpublished New Policy. The Banks customers are left at the whim of the Banks unlawful conduct, which is arbitrary and capricious. To the degree that Bank HaPoalim, BM, claims to establish and enforce the law of the United States in Jerusalem, the undersigned alleges that Bank HaPoalim, BM, and its Chief Internal Auditor Jacob Orbach are engaged in various violations of the law of the United States, including, but not limited to predicated acts, pursuant to RICO Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (18 USC 19611968): i. Fraud ii. Financial institution fraud iii. Mail fraud iv. Wire fraud v. act or threat involving extortion vi. Acts relating to extortionate credit transactions vii. Acts relating to tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant viii. Acts relating to retaliating against a witness, victim, or an informant Given the number of such predicated acts by Bank HaPoalim, BM, and the number of Banks personnel involved, their conduct should be deemed a pattern of racketeering activity, or organized corporate crime. Any specific requests: i. The undersigned requests that the Banking Regulation Unit of Bank of Israel immediate take action to restore the undersigneds access to his own deposit accounts, held by the Bank.

ii.

iii.

The undersigned requests that the Banking Regulation Unit of Bank of Israel initiate investigation of the conduct of Mr Jacob Orbach in this matter, relative to alleged violations of his lawful duties and obligations as the Banks Chief Internal Auditor. The undersigned requests that the Banking Regulation Unit of Bank of Israel accord the undersigned due process through timely written notice to the registration of instant complainant, response by the Bank on the instant complaint, and determination by Bank of Israel on instant complaint.

Jerusalem, January 24, 2013 Joseph Zernik, PhD

LINKED: [1] 13-01-02 Letter to Bank HaPoalim, BM, Chief Internal Auditor Jacob Orbach re: blocking of customers accounts, failure to produce bank documents http://www.scribd.com/doc/118782435/ [2] 12-11-16 Letter to Bank HaPoalim Chief Internal Auditor Jacob Orbach Re: FATCArelated extortionist conduct request for the Banks new policy shttp://www.scribd.com/doc/113472942/ [3] 12-12-02 Reminder on FATCA-related request for Bank HaPoalim records from Chief Internal Auditor Jacob Orbach http://www.scribd.com/doc/115295169/ [4] 12-12-25 Bank HaPoalim response re FACTA-related new policy, interest gained http://www.scribd.com/doc/118918634/

31.

Just Me
January 29, 2013 at 1:40 pm

Stanley Fischer resigns as Bank of Israel head Bank of Israel chief Stanley Fischer submitted his resignation Tuesday, telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he would leave his post in June, two years before his second term as governor was set to finish. Fischer, a popular banks head who steered Israel through the global financial downturn, provided no reasons for his decision.

32.

Joseph Zernik
January 31, 2013 at 5:50 pm

13-01-31 Half a year of harassment by the US and Israeli governments in Corpus Separatum Jerusalem is over!

Stanley Fischer a PR genius, subject of ongoing Israeli media festival Petition in the Israeli High Court of Justice alleged that Stanley Fischer exchanged his loyalty to the State of Israel and its law with loyalty to another nation and its laws and/or with loyalty to financial institutions and their interests. Jerusalem, January 31 today, I was informed by phone (they have done nothing in writing all of this time, for obvious reasons) by the Israeli Bank HaPoalim that the half year of harassment, which escalated to blocking my bank accounts on January 1, 2013, purportedly on behalf of the US government, is over! My bank accounts are unfrozen! As has been the case for years now, I will never know what happened in the background and what did the trick the multiple complaints to Bank of Israel-Banking Regulation, the petition to the Israeli High Court of Justice against Governor of Bank of Israel Stanley Fischer, renouncing my US citizenship (or at least attempting to do so), a meeting with the German Consul to Israel last week to file complaint with the German Minister of Foreign Affairs regarding the conduct of the governments of Israel and US in Jerusalem, in collusion with Israeli Bank HaPoalim The case as a whole presents the State of Israel as a US corporate province, and Stanley Fischer as the lackey. LINKS: [1] 13-01-03 PRESS RELEASE Stanley Fischer and FATCA secret consumer complaint process in Israeli banking regulation http://www.scribd.com/doc/118800215/ [2] 12-10-23 Joseph Zernik v Stanley Fischer (7650/12) Petition in the High Court of Justice of the State of Israel. http://www.scribd.com/doc/112418672/ [3] 12-12-27 PRESS RELEASE FATCA, Stanley Fischer, and Chief Clerk Sarah Lifschitz in the High Court of Justice of the State of Israel http://www.scribd.com/doc/118152545/ [4] 13-01-17 PRESS RELEASE: Fraud in the US Consulate, Jerusalem, denying the right to renounce US citizenship http://www.scribd.com/doc/120780332/ ________ Joseph Zernik, PhD Human Rights Alert (NGO) ________ < josephzernik@humanrightsalertngo.org> Sent from 1984 Iceland-based internet service provider _____________ Human Rights Alert (NGO) * United States - the 2010 submission of Human Rights Alert (NGO) to the Human Rights Council (HRC) of the United Nations was reviewed and incorporated in the

official HRC Professional Staff Report with a note referring to corruption of the courts and the legal profession and discrimination by law enforcement in California. [1] 10-10-01 United Nations Human Rights Council Records for 2010 Review (UPR) of Human Rights in the United States, where Human Rights Alert (NGO) submission was incorporated with a note referring to corruption of the courts and the legal profession and discrimination by law enforcement in California. http://www.scribd.com/doc/38566837/&nbsp; * State of Israel - the 2013 submission of Human Rights Alert (NGO) to the HRC, was incorporated into the HRC Staff Report with a note, referring to the lack of integrity of the electronic record systems of the Supreme Court, District Court and Detainees Courts in Israel. [1] 12-05-10 Appendix I to Human Right Alerts Submission; 15th UPR State of Israel: Integrity, or lack thereof, of the electronic record systems of the courts of the State of Israel http://www.scribd.com/doc/108663259/&nbsp; _____ Human Rights Alert online: http://inproperinla.blogspot.com/ Flag Counter: 145 http://www.scribd.com/Human_Rights_Alert Total Reads: 1,007,042 Followers: 1,640 http://www.scribd.com/SeyagLizhuyotHaadam&nbsp; Total Reads: 45,147 http://twitter.com/inproperinla&nbsp; http://www.liveleak.com/user/jz12345&nbsp; Total Item Views: 664,803+500,065 http://www.examiner.com/x-38742-LA-Business-Headlines-Examiner http://www.facebook.com/joseph.zernik&nbsp; Facebook Friends: 5,000 http://www.opednews.com/author/author81971.html http://www.opednews.com/author/author42343.html ____________________________ Occupy! 11-12-10 Where should Occupy go next? Civil Disobedience in the footsteps of Thoreau and Gandhi! http :// http://www.scribd.com/doc/75348301/ 12-06-08 Courts and Judges as racketeering enterprises under RICO (the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) key element in the current financial crisis http://www.scribd.com/doc/96504009/ Secede! The US in its current form is simply unmanageable 12-01-01 Secession a Smart Business Move! http://www.scribd.com/doc/76877453/ Get Up, stand up, stand up for your rights! _____________________________ Take away justice, then, and what are governments but great bandit bands? Saint Augustine, Civitas Dei (City of God,4.4) _____________________________

33.

calgary411

January 31, 2013 at 8:18 pm

@Joseph Zernik, Re: today, I was informed by phone (they have done nothing in writing all of this time, for obvious reasons) by the Israeli Bank HaPoalim that the half year of harassment, which escalated to blocking my bank accounts on January 1, 2013, purportedly on behalf of the US government, is over! My bank accounts are unfrozen! Thanks for letting us know that your Israeli Bank HaPoalim bank accounts are again accessible to you. Perhaps the next good news that you get is that will have actually completed a successful renunciation. I hope so.

34.

pacifica777
February 1, 2013 at 8:55 am

@ Joseph, Glad to hear of your success with the bank! Hope your CLN will be arriving soon too!

35.

Joseph Zernik
February 1, 2013 at 3:01 pm

Getting protected against broad daylight robbery by US and Israeli government and the bank is surely good news. The sad news is that most likely it was resolved only because of the German government intervention in my case. Forget about the rule of law in either the US or Israel, when it comes to either FATCA or the banks. There is no chance in a lifetime that I will ever get a CLN, since the Oath of Renunciation papers were deliberately made invalid executed with no witnesses, off the consulate calendar. If I ever get the CLN, I will surely let you know. I doubt that I will get any response at all, since the State Department would surely not wish to inform me that the renunciation papers are invalid, which would be the final evidence that the Consul in Jerusalem engaged in fraud. So what could they tell me as a reason why there is no CLN??? By now, it looks like I was singled out twice for special treatment in Israel:
By freezing my bank account, purportedly pursuant to FATCA, By exempting me from compliance with FATCA in Israel. Israeli attorneys here, in

Israel advise their US clients to submit to FATCA, and then collect the fees for doing the paperwork.

The more interesting question for me is, why did the US Consulate engage in such conduct. The only reasonable answer I can reach is that through such conduct the US gov likes to believe that they maintain some jurisdiction over me, no matter where I am. For that purpose, I also filed a request for protection with the German government, particularly, during international travel. The entire episode shows that the US government consider citizenship as some kind of relationship, similar to the feudal system of the middle ages. In my request for protection by the US government I explicitly listed the treatment by the US Jerusalem Consulate, as one of the violations, involved in this case, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 15, which says: Article 15. (1) Everyone has the right to a nationality. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality. Needless to say, it is a sad sign of the time, when a former US citizen has to request protection by the German government of his Human Rights, against abuse by the US government The Universal Declaration was created under the urging of the US gov, in response to German conduct in WWII jz

36.

Joseph Zernik Your comment is awaiting moderation.

February 1, 2013 at 3:10 pm

And here are two abstracts of papers, which I submitted this week for peer-review in an upcoming meeting of IEEE (the worlds largest computer science/electrical engineering association) in Beijing. Such writing is the reason for my harassment in the US, and now in Israel. 1) Invalid Electronic Record Systems of the California and US Courts Enablers of Human Rights Abuse and the Financial Crisis Abstract- According to experts, today fraud in the state and federal courts in the United States is at unprecedented levels. Recent reports detailed the invalidity and lack of integrity in the design and operation of the electronic record systems of the California and federal courts in the United States, primarily from system perspective. The current report presents records from a series of cases, conducted under the electronic record systems, currently implemented in a) the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles (LASC) Sustain, and b) the US courts PACER and CM/ECF. The cases document the propagation of simulated (mock) electronic legal public records by the courts, relative to the liberty and property of individuals and matters of high national public policy significance. Such conduct is enabled through invalid electronic record systems, characterized by invalid implementation of electronic signatures and undermining the authority and integrity of clerks of the courts. Such conditions are inherent to serious violation of Human Rights and failing banking regulation under the current financial crisis. The United Nations Human Rights Council

2010 Professional Staff Report, based on the Human Rights Alert (NGO) submission, referred to corruption of the courts and the legal profession and discrimination in law enforcement in California. In civilized societies, where separation of the branches of government is established by law where no court is permitted to enact its own rules of operation no court should be permitted to institute its own electronic record system. Keywords- Information Systems; e-government; e-court; State of California; United States; Sustain; PACER; CM/ECF; e-Fraud; e-Law; Human Rights; Banking Regulation 2) Electronic Legal Public Records of the State of Israel The Emperors New Clothes Abstract- Following enactment of the Electronic Signature Act (2001), new electronic record systems were implemented in the State of Israel. Data mining of public records of the Supreme Court, of the district courts, and of the legal public records of the Ministry of Justice failed to discover a single legal public record, bearing a visible electronic signature. The Supreme Court and the District Court serve their decisions on parties to litigation unsigned by the judges and unauthenticated by the clerks of the courts, and publish court record on servers of uncertified identities. The Ministry of Justice publishes online only unsigned legal public records and refuses to produce, in response to Freedom of Information requests, any paper or electronic record, which bears a visible electronic signature. Senior officers of the Ministry of Justice, acting on behalf of the office of Registrar of Certifying Authorities, but with no lawful appointment, delegated the certification of the States electronic signatures to a private corporation. The Israel Bar Association acts as an affiliate of such corporation, assigning electronic signatures to licensed attorneys. Attorneys, in turn, file in courts papers, bearing electronic signatures, which are publicly invisible. The authority and accountability of the clerks of the courts was also undermined: servers of the courts were removed from the custody of the clerks to the custody of another corporation; the current chief clerks of the Supreme Court and the Tel-Aviv District Court refused to produce their respective appointment records, as did the office of Administration of Courts; both chief clerks also refused to certify the records of their respective courts. A justice system was created, where the public is denied the right to distinguish between valid and simulated (mock) legal records. Such conditions are opined as fraud on the people, similar to that, which is described in The Emperors New Clothes. Based on the Human Rights Alert (NGO) submission, the United Nations Human Rights Council Professional Staff Report (2013) referred to lack of integrity of the electronic records of the Supreme Court, the district courts, and the detainees courts in Israel. It is proposed that in civil societies, where the separation of the branches of government is established by law, no court should be permitted to institute its own electronic record system. Keywords- Information Systems; e-government; court; State of Israel; e-Fraud; e-Law

37.

Medea Fleecestealer
February 1, 2013 at 4:05 pm

*Congratulations on sorting out the bank problem. With any luck the CLN will solve the nationality one soon for you too.

38.

calgary411
February 1, 2013 at 4:14 pm

@Joseph Zernik, Ill continue to think positively that you will eventually receive your CLN. Forgive me I may not get it regarding your experience and the execution by witnesses but I dont see that your renunciation experience differs from others here who are successfully receiving their CLNs including mine, which came two days ago.

39.

pacifica777
February 1, 2013 at 4:20 pm

@ Joseph, The consulate acted completely properly with your CLN application, in accordance with Department of State procedure regarding witnesses, which are only used for renunciants who do not understand English. This is a standard rule, which is the case at all consulates. The use of witnesses is in DOS Manual. 7 FAM 1260 at point 1264.4(e) In cases where the renunciant does not understand English and witnesses are required, the witnesses should sign Form DS-4082. Theres also a few other references to these witnesses in the 7 FAM 1260, which will come up if you do a search for the word witness. You should expect to get your CLN soon.

40.

Joseph Zernik
February 2, 2013 at 4:09 am

pacifica777, calgary411, and all others: It appears that my position is still not clear: I dont care if I get, or dont get the CLN. I performed my duties, pursuant to the US law to renounce my US citizenship:
I appeared before a US Consul outside the United States I took the oath of renunciation of US citizenship

The US government acknowledged the fact that I performed my duties, through:

Collecting fees for the renunciation (outrageous as the fees may be), for which I

have receipts;

 Issuing papers, which document that I appeared and took the oath (whether the

papers are valid or not), and Taking my passport by the consulate. Whether or not the US choses to provide the CLN, is the business of the US alone. Any competent court of any other nation, which recognizes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, should recognize that conduct of the US government in this matter is serious violation of Article 15 of the Declaration, which says: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to

change his nationality. The only reason, why one may want to get a CLN, is if one wants to go back to the US, which obviously does not accord its citizens the fundamental Human Rights, pursuant to the declaration, including, but not limited to Article 15. Since I have no intention of entering the US again, while it is under a government, which abuses the Human Rights of its own citizens, it does not make any difference for me whatsoever, whether or not I get the CLN. Joseph Zernik, PhD Human Rights Alert (NGO)

41.

Joseph Zernik
February 2, 2013 at 4:18 am

And the fact that the Israeli bank and Israeli authorities exempted me from FATCA (probably following intervention by the German authorities), shows that my position, detailed above, is valid.