Western Allies Complain to Israel Over Lack of Info About Alleged Transfer of Aid Funds to Hamas

[Little Tich]

Source: Haaretz

Diplomats say Israel is more interested in creating 'public diplomacy buzz' than resolving case of World Vision's Mohammed El Halabi, whom Israel accuses of diverting millions of dollars to Islamist group in Gaza.

Some of Israel’s key allies have complained to the Foreign Ministry about not receiving any intelligence or evidence about the World Vision manager in Gaza whom Israel suspects of transferring millions of dollars of humanitarian aid to Hamas.

Western diplomats told Haaretz that Israel’s behavior in the affair is creating the impression that the government is interested in creating a “public diplomacy buzz,” rather than any real attempt to resolve the matter.

“The Israelis’ priorities in this affair are very strange,” said one Western diplomat, who asked to remain anonymous, citing the diplomatic sensitivity of the story. “Israel’s conduct is very disappointing.”

On August 4, the Shin Bet security service announced the arrest of Mohammad El Halabi, World Vision’s Gaza zonal manager. The Shin Bet claimed that, for six years, Halabi served as a Hamas agent inside the Christian aid organization. During this time, it alleged, he diverted millions of dollars of donations from Western governments to Hamas, which the Islamist group then used for building tunnels and manufacturing weaponry in Gaza.

Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.738643

Note: Haaretz Premium article - Google title for access.

[Little Tich]

1. Israel denies secrecy on Gaza aid workers suspected of helping Hamas

Source: Times of Israel

Foreign Ministry rejects claim that ‘key allies’ were kept in the dark on allegations against World Vision, UN staffers

Israel on Friday rejected claims that it did not update Western donor states on the arrests of an aid worker in Gaza who was allegedly involved in the transfer of millions of dollars to the Hamas terror group and of a UN engineer facing similar allegations.

According to Haaretz newspaper, Israel received complaints from “key allies” regarding the detention of senior World Vision employee Mohammed el-Halabi, who has been charged for funneling tens of millions of dollars of the charity’s funds to Hamas for terror purposes. World Vision, an international Christian aid group with headquarters in Washington State and the United Kingdom, works in nearly 100 countries. With a budget of approximately $2.6 billion and nearly 50,000 employees, it is one of the largest US-based relief organizations and has operated in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza since the 1970s.

But the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem denied that it failed to update donor nations on the suspicions against el-Halabi, or those against Waheed Abd Allah Bossh, an engineer in the UN’s Development Program, who was arrested by the Shin Bet security service in July for allegedly funneling resources to the terrorist group.

“The claim that Israel had not updated the donor countries to World Vision and UNDP regarding the background of the arrest of the suspects is incorrect,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-donors-updated-on-gaza-staffers-suspected-of-aiding-hamas/

[6chars]

2. Israel is a sovereign nation. Why are you worried?

Very worried ---

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[Little Tich]

3. Did you run out of good arguments? Tsk tsk... n/t