World Vision ends Gaza projects after its Gaza chief indicted for funneling funds to Hamas
Charity money going to Hamas, as in the case of the Holy Land Foundation in the United States.
“World Vision Cancels Gaza Projects & Jobs After Longtime Hamas Stealing Exposed,” by Hana Levi Julian, Jewish Press, September 10, 2016:
The World Vision international humanitarian non-governmental organization (NGO) has laid off 120 Gaza employees and cancelled its project in the region after the head of its Gaza office was indicted by Israel for redirecting project funds into the coffers of the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization.
The contracts of the NGO’s Gaza employees were cancelled, according to an employee quoted over the weekend by UK-based newspaper The Guardian, in a report confirmed by World Vision. The NGO had rushed to cancel the project just days after Mohammed El-Halabi was indicted.
World Vision’s eastern Jerusalem office had released a statement on Friday, July 29, passionately defending El-Halabi as a “widely respected and well-regarded humanitarian, field manager and trusted colleague of over a decade. He has displayed compassionate leadership on behalf of the children and communities of Gaza through difficult and challenging times, and has always worked diligently and professionally in fulfilling his duties.”
Less than two weeks later, however, “They informed 120 employees from World Vision in Gaza they were officially cancelling their contracts and stopping all their projects in the enclave,” the employee said. “The head of the NGO in Palestine and a number of foreign staff met on August 9 with Palestinian employees in the Gaza office and gave them documents to sign, which they did.” The employee added that the NGO had promised to take the staff back ‘once the crisis was resolved.’
On August 4, after the indictment, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) intelligence service announced World Vision’s Gaza operations manager Mohammed El-Halabi had funneled 60 percent of the organization’s budget to the military wing of Hamas.
El-Halabi was arrested on June 15, 20165 [sic] at the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza. He was indicted in Israel on August 4, 2016 on charges of infiltrating the charity on behalf of Hamas, and having redirected some $43 million of World Vision funds to the military wing of the terror organization over a six-year period.
According to the indictment and subsequent media reports, the funds were instead used to build Hamas terrorist tunnels and military installations, as well as for other terrorist activities….
Source: World Vision ends Gaza projects after its Gaza chief indicted for funneling funds to Hamas
