As a democracy, Israel shows no moral tenet: El-Halabi’s outcry for justice
Published Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, 9:47 am
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Front Page » Government/Politics » As a democracy, Israel shows no moral tenet: El-Halabi’s outcry for justice
By Alon Ben-Meir
Alon Ben-Meir
Israel’s continued treatment of Palestinian political prisoners is unconscionable. Mohammed El Halabi, an aid worker from Gaza, has been in prison for four years while he awaits his trial; this is nothing short of cruel absurdity. He has been forced before the court over 150 times, many of those appearances secret, without word of when his trial will begin. His last court appearance was January 14, and he and his family still have no word of when his case will begin.
Righting the Wrong

Israel’s continued treatment of Palestinian political prisoners is unconscionable. Mohammad El Halabi, an aid worker from Gaza, has been in prison for four years while he awaits his trial; this is nothing short of cruel absurdity. He has been forced before the court over 150 times, many of those appearances secret, without word of when his trial will begin. His last court appearance was January 14, and he and his family still have no word of when his case will begin.
Israel’s case against El Halabi whom it accuses of diverting humanitarian funds to Hamas has been widely condemned as flimsy at best. The amount of funds it claims El Halabi diverted from his employer, the charity World Vision, is more than the organization’s entire annual operating budget; furthermore, World Vision as well as independent auditors found no financial irregularities as has been claimed. In addition, the Israeli government has refused to provide any further information or evi
The logo of U.S.-based Christian charity World Vision is seen on a car parked outside their offices in Jerusalem, August 4, 2016. | (Photo: Reuters/Ammar Awad)
World Vision should have known that the Islamic group it funded and worked with in Sudan was dedicated to funding terrorism, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee said in a new report.
“Based on the evidence presented, we conclude that World Vision had access to the appropriate public information and should have known how, but failed to, properly vet ISRA as a subgrantee, resulting in the transfer of U.S. taxpayer dollars to an organization with an extensive history of supporting terrorist organizations and terrorists, including Osama Bin Laden, the Dec. 23 report reads.