Palestinian Mohammad El Halabi (C), a manager of operations in the Gaza Strip for USA -based Christian charity World Vision, accused by Israel of funnelling millions of dollars in aid money to Hamas in Gaza, a charge denied by the Islamist militant group, is seen before a hearing at the Beersheba district court in southern Israel, August 4, 2016.
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An official from the Shin Bet security agency said it amounted to over US$7 million (RM29.23 million) a year, with up to 60 per cent of the NGO’s operating costs allegedly siphoned off.
Save the Children says it is looking into Israeli claims a Palestinian staff member in Gaza had been recruited by Hamas, days after charges were filed against a World Vision employee.
World Vision Germany spokeswoman Silvia Holten said the charity’s budget in Gaza in the last decade totaled $22.5 million.
Yesterday, a report by the news agency Reuters said lawyers representing El Halabi have denied his involvement with any of the charges. World Vision has detailed procedures and control mechanisms in place to ensure that the funds entrusted to us are spent in accordance with applicable legal requirements and in ways that do not fuel conflict but rather contribute to peace.
“We are suspending the provision of further funding to World Vision for programs in the Palestinian Territories until the investigation is complete”, it said.
For now, it seems the impact here has been felt only by a group of donors who were due to depart for Israel soon to visit their sponsored children.
But a Hamas spokesman said the group denied any connection with the man.
On Monday the United Nations expressed “serious concerns” over the World Vision allegations.
When contacted, an Office of the Commissioner of Charities spokesperson would only say that it is looking into the matter. The Christian charity also promised to act appropriately based on their findings.
It added that some areas where charities operate internationally might have weak infrastructure, and funds could be transferred through unregulated financial channels, resulting in suspicious transactions being harder to detect.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) called the allegations “deeply troubling” and said in a statement that it was “urgently seeking more information from World Vision and the Israeli authorities”.
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And while the organization said there was no reason to believe they were true, it would review the evidence.
