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Australian MPs Tim Smith, Tony Abbott, Richard Marles and Labor leader Bill Shorten in Jerusalem Picture: Twitter
National
Tony Abbott wants foreign aid suspended to Palestinian Authority
Staff writers, wires, News Corp Australia Network
January 2, 2017 8:30am
FORMER prime minister Tony Abbott wants Australia to suspend aid to the Palestinian Authority because “it keeps paying pensions to terrorists and their families”.
He made the call in an opinion piece published in The Spectator Magazine on Monday.
Australia’s aid program to Palestine is more than $40 million a year and is provided via United Nations agencies and some charity organisations.
The money goes towards projects to provide Palestinian refugees with basic services such as health, education, water and sanitation.
Last year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade suspended aid to World Vision’s work in the Palestinian Territories in the wake of allegations the charity’s head in Gaza funnelled millions of dollars to militant group Hamas.
Bill Shorten and Tony Abbott were in Israel late last year. Picture: Twitter
The organisation has denied the claims which are subject to court proceedings. Mr Abbott also flagged that Australia could demonstrate “unswerving support for Israel” by joining any move by the incoming Trump administration to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Mr Abbott recently returned from a trip to the Middle East.
He attended the Australia-Israel-UK Dialogue in Jerusalem along with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and other federal MPs.
