AusAID back in the spotlight
A civil rights group has provided conclusive evidence of WorldVision & AusAID funding illegal Gaza terrorist group and has accused World Vision & AusAID of sham investigation and misleading the public.
Andrew Hamilton
The Israeli civil rights group, Shurat HaDin—Israel Law Center, has revealed conclusive evidence supporting its allegations that World Vision Australia & AusAID are funding an arm of a proscribed terrorist organisation in Gaza in breach of Australian & US law.
Shurat HaDin – Israel Law Center issued the following media release:
On 15 February 2012, Shurat HaDin sent letters to World Vision Australia and AusAID warning that providing financial aid and other forms of material support to the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (“UAWC”) was illegal because it was an arm of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (“PFLP”), a proscribed terror group. Shurat HaDin warned that the PFLP was the controlling hand of the UAWC and that PFLP members form the executive of the UAWC. Initially, the organisations suspended aid to the UAWC.
However, on 2 March 2012, without having received Shurat HaDin’s evidence and based solely on an irrelevant search of registers of not-for-profit organisations, World Vision publicly announced that it had conducted an “extensive investigation”, that Shurat HaDin’s allegations were “unfounded” and resumed funding the UAWC. In a separate letter, AusAID similarly made the same false claims of having conducted a “detailed investigation”.
Today, Shurat HaDin director, attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner and Australian solicitor Andrew Hamilton reveal their dossier of evidence conclusively implicating the UAWC as an arm of the PFLP. This evidence includes:
• The President of the UAWC Board of Directors, Bashir al Kheiri is a well known and senior member of the PFLP, head of the PFLP Political Office in Ramallah, with a long record of arrests & gaol time in Israel for terrorist involvement and still actively representing the PFLP as recently as January 2012.
• The Vice President of the UAWC Board of Directors, Jamil Muhammad Ismail al-Majdalawi (aka Jamil Ismail), is also a well known and senior member of the PFLP, head of the PFLP political office in Gaza and represents the PFLP on the PLO central committee.
• Three other UAWC directors (Razeq al Barghouthi, Ramallah, Treasurer; Taghreed Jom’a, Gaza Member; and Faysal Khalafallah, Gaza Member) are also members of the PFLP. Taghreed Jom’a is a member of the PFLP’s Gaza leadership.
• The US government aid agency, US AID identified the UAWC as the agricultural arm of the PFLP in a detailed report back in 1993, noting that it was established by the PFLP in 1986. US AID does not fund the UAWC.
• The UAWC directly makes its assets available for PFLP use. In particular:
• The PFLP celebrated it’s 42nd anniversary at the UAWC’s hall in Khan Younis, Gaza in December 2009.
• Senior PFLP personnel are actively and publicly involved in UAWC activity on an ongoing basis. In particular:
• PFLP spokesman Ali Jaradat spoke at the official UAWC conference in Ramallah in 2011 and another conference organised by the UAWC in November 2011.
• The PFLP actively supported the UAWC’s political protest outside UN Headquarters in Gaza City in 2011 with PFLP central committee member Abu Rahma speaking at the protest.
• The Deputy Secretary General of the PLFP, Mr Abdel Rahim Malouh, was an important guest at the UAWC’s “Immortal Land Day” political protest on 1 June 2010.
• The PFLP’s Arabic language website includes detailed reports of the UAWC’s work, the most recent of which is dated 2 February 2012 while the UAWC’s English site contains reports only until 2009. It is telling that the PFLP website has much more up to date information on the UAWC’s work than the UAWC’s own website.
Shurat HaDin notes that almost all this information is publicly available on the internet, mostly in English, and is available to anyone conducting a simple google search in good faith, let alone the “extensive” & “detailed” investigations that World Vision & AusAID claim to have conducted.
Shurat HaDin also notes that it is clear from basic internet searches that the UAWC is not merely an agricultural organisation but is extensively involved in political activity advancing the PFLP agenda. It should not have been eligible for Australian government aid in the first place.
The PFLP is a proscribed terrorist organisation listed by the Australian Government under the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945 (“the Act”). It is a strict liability offence, under section 21 of the Act for an individual or corporation to directly or indirectly make an asset available to a proscribed person or entity.
By providing financial aid to the UAWC, which: was established by the PFLP; is controlled by senior PFLP operatives; makes its assets available to the PFLP and acts in coordination with and to advance the interests of the PFLP (including active involvement in PFLP political activity), World Vision & AusAID are directly or indirectly making assets available to a proscribed terrorist entity.
World Vision has admitted to providing at least $US711,000 to the UAWC (out of A$5 million budget) in the last 18 months alone and appears to have been funding the UAWC for substantially longer. The penalties for breach of section 21 of the Act include up to 10 years imprisonment for individuals and fines of up to 3 times the amount of the transaction for individuals and corporations. Shurat HaDin calculates that fines in this case could amount to well over A$15 million if the current $5 million budget allocation to the UAWC is not the first.
Shurat HaDin Solicitor Andrew Hamilton said, “Not only have World Vision & AusAID likely broken the law and exposed themselves and their staff to millions in fines and potential gaol terms, but they have added insult to injury by grossly misusing Australian taxpayers’ money and then misleading the Australian people by conducting an extremely superficial investigation while publicly claiming it was extensive and the allegations unfounded.”
According to attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner: “It is unbelievable that World Vision and AusAid were unaware that the leadership of the UAWC were senior officials of the terrorist Popular Front. Australian taxpayers will be stunned to learn that their money is being given to a terrorist organisation dedicated to Israel’s destruction and the murder of innocent Jews.”
Shurat HaDin calls upon the Australian Federal Police to open an investigation into this potentially criminal conduct of World Vision & AusAID. Shurat HaDin will provide its detailed dossier of evidence to the Australian Federal Police on request and offers to assist in the collection of further evidence in Israel to enable the successful prosecution of the organisations and individuals involved.
A spokesperson for AusAID told J-Wire: “AusAID is aware of new allegations from Shurat HaDin. We have received a further letter from Shurat HaDin on 23 March repeating the allegations from the Jerusalem Post article. AusAID is considering this letter.”
Shurat HaDin—Israel Law Center (http://israellawcenter.org/) is an international human rights law organisation dedicated to enforcing basic human rights through the legal system and representing victims of terrorism in courtrooms around the world.
Paul Winter speaks from a position of complete ignorance. He has no idea what steps the ECAJ has taken. Obviously issues like this are not dealt with in the public domain while investigations are pending.
“Obviously” Julie has no idea how these matters must be addressed !
If ECAJ is, indeed, doing something and not sitting on their hands as Shirlee asumes with such firm knowledge of NOTHING, as she admits, these are matters that are best treated if , INDEED, are brought out in the open !!!
But, hey, could that, indeed – again-, be consistent with a communal leadership that is “best” functioning behind the scenes, along the coridors of power – read farcical shows of “consideration” – by those incredibly able diplomats of our communal intersts, those brilliant political minds who have achieved all those things which are best kept as secrets, under the same logic as what…obviously Julie protects as the best strategy.
Keep it stumm and we all will then assume that we are guarded by the most infallible team of te best possible leadership….
Do you want me to expand on the merrits of open policy campaigning and the value of obviating the …obvious in such a manner that your argument is, indeed – for the last time – seen as utterly persuasive ?! ECAJ has done bugger all because there no evidence of it, except for the ” assurances” generously offered by Julie Nathan – and that should be evidence enough…….( sound effects of healthy laughter )
If so smart, convince me that you – both ladies – can put forward an argument of open promotion of REAL Jewish, Zionist values, unaffraid of the “consequances”. This is how Eretz Israel is being protected to the extent that even the “secret” services publicise thei exploits as the best mode of allerting all those inclined to cause harm that ” we do exist and live “.
Communal policies are not some secret society cum confidential exchanges of tit bits. That would be best left for WIZO – endless – happy hours little “dos”.
( Now I got meself some new admirers !!! )
Julie Nathan uses the term”obvious” and all I want to see is tha famous OBVIOUS !!!
Ignorance is perpetuated when the “obvious” is not quite obviated.
In the meantime Paul Winter KNOWS what he is talking about, i.e. NOTHING obvious emerging from ECAJ and Julie, together with efusive Shirlee, who also happens to be on the side of defending the obvious gurnischt, should ponder their unjustified excitement for the imperious fac tottum ECAJ and search for the misterious evidence.
Just in case the public domain is another unresolved mistery, if ECAJ and the rest of our leadership would have the slightest idea how to handle the public domain , we would be fortunate enought to see and hear them in the public domain putting forward our cases with such aplomb in persuasion that all those targeted , read enemies of Zionut, would be left bereft of retort.
SHOW ME THE PERSON IN OUR COMMUNITY CAPABLE OF THAT !!!!!! FOR I KNOW OF NO ONE !!!!!
This is all very interesting. But why is the Australian government not taking any steps to stop funds going to terrorists, or at least investigating the allegations? Far more importantly, why isn’t the ECAJ making a complaint to the Australian Federal Police?
There are those who make things happen, there are those who watch things happen and there are those who wonder about what is happening. No prize for guessing into which category the ECAJ falls into.
Paul
How can you condemn something you have no knowledge of ?.
I have none either on this issue, so I wouldn’t presume to pass comment, especially a negative one.
I would suggest you do likewise, as you’re likely to be the one with egg on his face.
You can rest assured that the ECAJ is not sitting on the sidelines twiddling its thumbs. That much I do know.
I’ve never met Harry Joachim although we share a last name; I’m an old man living in FNQ, but I certainly agree with Harry but would like to point out that as far as I’m aware, we are not related.
Excellent article.