Israeli MP Sharren Haskel has made the startling claim Australian taxpayers are “paying the salary” of members from terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah following fresh revelations regarding the UN's Palestinian refugee agency.
New links to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees have emerged after the killing of a top Hamas commander in Lebanon earlier this week, who has been uncovered as a suspended employee of an UNRWA-run school.
Fateh Sharif Abu El-Amin, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Monday along with his wife and daughter, was placed under investigation and suspended from his job in March after concerns emerged regarding his politics, UNRWA's chief Philippe Lazzarini revealed at a media conference.
However Lazzarini has denied knowing Abu El-Amin was a Hamas commander, saying, “I never heard the word commander before. What’s obvious for you today, was not obvious yesterday.”
Israeli MP Sharren Haskel has made the startling claimAustralian taxpayers are “paying the salaries” of members from terrorist groupsHamas and Hezbollah.
The Australian government in August facedscathing criticism over its decision to continue funding to UNRWAdespite there being sufficient evidence nine of the agency’s staff had links tothe October 7 Hamas attack.
In light of the new revelations this week, Ms Haskel arguedthe Australian government had been warned “for years” about UNRWA's allegedlinks to terrorism.
“There are thousands of terrorists of Hamas and Hezbollahwho are on the paycheque of Australian taxpayers’ money. They are paying thesalary of those terrorists,” Ms Haskel told Sky News host Sharri Markson onTuesday night.
She said it was “very simple” for the federal government tocheck who the terrorist activists working with the agency were, throughrequesting a list of employees from the United Nations.
Hamas reported the death of its leader in Lebanon FatehSherif Abu el-Amin, along with his wife, son and daughter, after an Israeliairstrike hit their house in Tyre, Lebanon. Picture: X/kann_news
“If they just cross them, they know exactly who is aterrorist, but they just ignore it. It's very easy to ignore the facts. It'svery easy to ignore the truth when you don't want to accept it. But they knowit, they've known it for years," she said.
“And that's why in the past, many governments have stoppedfunding UNRWA– because they understand that they are finding terrorism.
“On one hand, they declare Hezbollah and other organisationsas terrorist organisations, but on the other hand they feed them withAustralian money. Which is absolutely absurd. “
The government temporarily halted funding to UNRWA earlythis year following shockingallegations that at least a dozen employees had links to Hamas' deadlyassault.
However, the funding was restored about two monthslater despite the investigation into the claims not having beencompleted.
The Australian government has faced scathing criticism overits decision to continue funding to UNRWA despite there being sufficientevidence nine of the agency’s staff had links to the October 7 Hamas attack.Picture: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
In August, a report from UNRWA Commissioner-General PhilippeLazzarini confirmed in ninecases there was sufficient evidence that staff were likely involved in theOctober 7 attack on Israel.
The employees in question were sacked following theinvestigation conducted by the Office of Internal Oversight Services, accordingto the UN agency.
In nine other cases, the agency said evidence obtainedthrough the investigation was "insufficient” to support staff members'involvement in the assault, while in one other case, there was "noevidence" to support the allegations of a staff member's involvement.
The opposition called on the Albanese government toimmediately reconsider its involvement, engagement and funding of UNRWAfollowing these revelations.
