This makes sense: Payoneer CEO Yuval Tal is worried about his well-being after it was publicized that his company's prepaid credit cards were used by the costume-happy hit squad that killed a Hamas leader in Dubai. A Payoneer spokeswoman told the Post, "He has legitimate personal safety concerns for himself and his family."
The Dubai police revealed that Payoneer's cards were used and that Tal is a self-described former member of the Israeli special forces—plus, funding for Payoneer has come from other firms with ties to Israreli military. An associate of Tal's also expressed concern, "Retaliation by Hamas for any perceived connection to the Dubai killing is a real concern. By publicly pointing a finger, they've potentially put people in harm's way."
Earlier, the Post wondered if Tal disappeared after the news broke, since he hadn't been seen at his Manhattan office or Brooklyn home. But last Thursday, the Observer's Max Abelson, who wrote a profile about Payoneer, got an email from Payoneer's spokeswoman explaining that Tal was in Israel on a business trip, "Payoneer has an office in Tel Aviv and Yuval frequently travels between New York and Israel as a normal part of managing the company." And Tal himself sent an email, "As soon as it will be appropriate to chat, I'll be happy to meet."
And for those of you following the whole story, the LA Times' Babylon & Beyond blog writes, "But gaping questions continue to cloud the investigation into [Mahmoud] Mabhouh’s murder. Perhaps the biggest puzzle: What was Mabhouh, a native of the Gaza Strip now living in Damascus, doing in Dubai with no security detail in the first place? To buy weapons? Transit to another country? Meet a girlfriend? Conduct family business?" Apparently Mabhouh entered the country with a fake passport.
