Israel Seen Explores UNRWA-World Vision and Gaza
World Vision ‘shocked’ by Israel allegations Gaza manager diverted charity money to Hamas
Photo: Mohammed Al Halabi became head of World Vision’s Gaza operations in 2010. (Reuters: Dudu Grunshpan)
Israel has charged a manager of World Vision’s Gaza office with passing millions of dollars to the Palestinian hardline militant group Hamas.
World Vision official Mohammed El Halabi appeared before a court today, facing charges of using millions of charity funds to pay Hamas fighters and buy weapons.
The ABC understands the Australian Government has given the charity over $5 million in the past three years for projects in the Gaza Strip.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was suspending the provision of funding to World Vision in the Palestinian Territories until an investigation is complete.
The Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet claimed Hamas recruited Mr Halabi more than a decade ago.
The agency said since Mr Halabi took over World Vision operations in Gaza in 2010, roughly 60 per cent of World Vision’s annual budget in the territory — $US7 million a year — was diverted to Hamas, including its military wing the al-Qassam brigades.
For the rest of the story go to ABC Australia
Shurat HaDin: We Warned World Vision Over Funding Gaza Terrorism
Head of World Vision’s Gaza branch, Mohammad el-Halabi. Photo Credit: Eliyahu Hershkovitz
For the past four years, Shurat HaDin has been warning that funds provided to Gaza by Christian mega charity, World Vision, were being utilized for terrorism. In 2012, Tel Aviv based civil rights center, Shurat HaDin, notified the Australian government that its aid money being administrated by World Vision was being transferred to front charities of Palestinian terror groups in Gaza. Both the Australian government and World Vision denied Shurat HaDin’s warning.
In 2015, Shurat HaDin again cautioned the Australian government that World Vision was operating as an active arm of the PFLP and other terror groups. World Vision’s chief executive, Tim Costello, vehemently denied the charges and claimed that WVA had “no interest in supporting terrorism.” However, as of this week, Shurat HaDin’s warnings against WVA have been proven true. Israel’s internal security service has arrested a senior employee of World Vision, Mohammed Halabi, who stands accused of transferring up to $50 million, over the course of several years, to Palestinian terror organization Hamas.
According to Shurat HaDin’s President, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner: “For years we have been warning that World Vision is funding Palestinian terror groups in Gaza. World Vision has repeatedly denied our charges and refused to seriously investigate where its funds are going. They assured us that the organizations they fund had been vetted and were not engaged with terrorism. Who knows how many of Hamas’s missiles and how many of the stabbing attacks were funded by World Vision after they were put on notice that they were financing Palestinian terror. The assistance to Gaza by foreign aid organizations is directly responsible for the murder of scores of Jews in Israel.”
As has been reported, Israel arrested a senior member of the Christian charity World Vision on charges of diverting tens of millions of dollars meant to help Gaza civilians towards Hamas terrorists.
Israel has been careful so far not to blame World Vision itself, implying that the actions of Mohammad El Halabi were done without the knowledge of the organization.
But World Vision’s statement about the incident reveals that it is not the most truthful organization:
World Vision subscribes to the humanitarian principles of impartiality and neutrality and therefore rejects any involvement in any political, military or terrorist activities and maintains its independence as a humanitarian aid agency committed to serving the poor, especially children.
it rejects any involvement in political activities?
World Vision has published a pamphlet that describes campaigns that can only be described as political.
They claim that they are not political, but their advocacy only goes in one direction:
This is a political position.
Worse, they use the term “resistance” in their work, and they describe their partnership with undeniably political organizations like Breaking the Silence and ICAHD as “co-resistance”:
Indeed, there are other reasons to blame World Vision besides its apparent shocking lack of oversight on how its donors’ money is spent. But this statement alone, where they claim to be apolitical, is enough to prove that the organization is not telling the truth, today.
And once you know that they lie about their very goals, it is hard to believe them about anything.
By the way, Israel says that Halabi was recruited by Hamas in 2005. This means that he was working for the UNDP at the time.
New short film: “The UNRWA road to terror : Palestinian classroom incitement”
We engaged a team of senior journalists who have produced a new short film on the incitement taking place in UNRWA facilities in Jerusalem and Bethlehem
We flew over a top US . film director to direct the film. We engaged a team of experts to translate new PA school books used in the UNRWA schools…after the Obama administration issued falsified reports that the PA school system has been reformed.
Dr. Einat Wilf on “Ask the Source” discussing the subversive political nature of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem.
