Despite Nahshon’s claim, however, Holten said World Vision’s budget includes all in-kind donations.
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World Vision International president Kevin Jenkins said the organisation was probing the allegations and “condemns any diversion of funds from any humanitarian organisation”.
Since the allegations emerged Thursday, Australia has suspended funding worth $3.8 million and the charity’s German wing said all funding from the German government has been stopped during the investigation.
“Mohammad El Halabi was the manager of our Gaza operations only since October 2014”, the statement continued.
Burash had worked as a UNDP engineer since 2003.
Borsh confessed that he carried out projects for Hamas, the Shin Bet said.
The Gaza Strip is a prosperous territory with lush lawns and gleaming high-rises – at least that’s the image in a sleek campaign video made by activists of the territory’s ruling Islamic militant Hamas group.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon called on the worldwide body to take rapid action against Hamas.
Notably, according to Borsh, other Palestinians who work for aid organizations are also working for Hamas. Participants in the vigil called for the immediate release of al-Halabi, dubbing him “humanity’s savior”.
Israelis say the indictments justify their suspicions over the years that well-intentioned NGOs are sloppy with their vetting and monitoring.
According to its website, the UNDP’s operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are based on a mandate to “to improve the economic and social conditions of the Palestinian people by identifying their social and economic needs and by establishing concrete projects to that end”. Darshan-Leitner said she is exploring suing World Vision in the United States for aiding and abetting terrorism. Asked whether it is possible for aid groups to support Gazans without aiding Hamas, Nahshon said this would require “better control mechanisms over the money and its use”.
Following Halabi’s arrest, World Vision pointed out that he had been in custody for 50 days and spent about half of them without any legal counsel.
The UNDP carries out reconstruction and development projects for the civilians in Gaza.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that it had forwarded details of Boresh’s activities to United Nations officials, and to the heads of the UNDP.
Aid workers privately admit to pressure from Hamas.
A spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry disputed that, telling the AP, “They are trying to belittle their role and to show they are much smaller than they really are”.
“We still have not seen any of the evidence”, he added.
Yesterday, a report by the news agency Reuters said lawyers representing El Halabi have denied his involvement with any of the charges.
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“Before that time he managed only portions of the Gaza budget”.
