Jew World Order

After five years and more than 160 sessions, an Israeli court is nearing the end of the most high-profile case of alleged terror funding. 

The events began in 2016 when Mohammed el-Halabi, then the head of World Vision’s Gaza office, was on his way home from a meeting in Jerusalem. Apprehended by Israeli authorities, for 50 days he was interrogated without explanation or access to legal representation. His family said he lost 50% of his hearing due to the harsh physical tactics he was subject to during questioning. When he was finally charged months later, el-Halabi learned he was accused of diverting millions to Hamas’s coffers in Gaza, yet World Vision has maintained no money ever went missing. What’s more, the UK-based Christian charity contends el-Halabi never possessed large amounts of cash.

Closing arguments ended in August and it is unclear when the verdict will be delivered. 

“When Israel finally announced its charges against Mohammed, we were baffled,” World Vision’s former Australia CEO Tim Costello wrote in an op-ed in June. Prosecutors claimed El-Halabi siphoned $50 million for Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. 

According to Costello, that “didn’t add up”—literally. “World Vision’s entire Gaza operating budget for the time Mohammed worked for us was only about half that,” he explained.  

El-Halabi and the Gaza office were regularly audited by the Australian government and consultants from PricewaterhouseCoopers, none of whom said any funds went missing. Taking the allegations seriously, both ordered independent investigations. Once again they came to the same conclusion: not only had el-Halabi not sent funds to Hamas, but there was no monetary theft. 

Yet the trial continued. El-Halabi was denied bail and offered multiple plea bargains that could have ensured an earlier release, yet he routinely rejected the offers and maintained his innocence. A gag order was placed on the proceedings, meaning little evidence has been open for public scrutiny. This is par for the course of hearings in Israeli military court, but uncommon in criminal trials where el-Halabi’s case was heard. In military court, Palestinian defendants have fewer rights and a 99.74 conviction rate.

Maher Hanna, a member of the Israeli bar association and the defense attorney, was required to limit his closing argument to 60 pages. In an unorthodox order, the judge compelled him to type out the statement on the government prosecutor’s computer. Hanna was not provided a copy to verify against the court record.  

The defendant’s father, Khalil el-Halabi vigorously advocated for his son to the media and made appeals to the UN Secretary-General, President Joe Biden, the Pope, and Israeli lawmakers. In turn, human rights organizations and Israeli legislatures have spoken out on his behalf. In November 2020 UN Special Rapporteurs issued a scathing statement denouncing “fundamentally unfair practices” that “stain the justice system of any state” and called for Israel to “grant him the full rights of a fair trial, or else release him unconditionally.”

If convicted, el-Halabi could face a 20-year sentence in an Israeli military prison. 

I interviewed el-Halabi with the aid of attorneys other than his own, per the gag order’s limits on communication. In a rare opportunity to speak to the man at the center of this case, I submitted questions via the lawyers from the Palestinian Prisoners Club who related my queries and his responses. This is his first interview since his arrest:

Daoud Kuttab: Were you surprised when Israeli authorities arrested you on June 15th, 2016, on your way back from a World Vision meeting in Jerusalem?

Mohammed el-Halabi: I had no idea that there was a question about my work. I was surprised when I was detained because I know that I work within the law.

I was accused of financing Palestinian factions in the amounts of millions of dollars through World Vision.

I rejected this accusation and I assured them that our work is 100% according to laws and regulations set by our own organization and the donor countries. I challenged them during the interrogation to show that I used a single U.S. dollar to support any illegal organization and until now they have not proven that.

The Israelis were clearly unhappy with the huge work that was done by our humanitarian agency especially after the three wars on Gaza. They told me this affects the effectiveness of the blockade that they were carrying out against Gaza.

When was the first time that you were offered a plea bargain and how many times were you offered since?

The first plea offer I was offered was immediately after my charge sheet was presented to the court. They suggested that I serve six to 10 months in return for pleading guilty to the charge of funding Palestinian organizations from the funds of the humanitarian agency I work for, and I refused this because I didn’t.

Again, I was offered the same 10 months in September 2016 and in March 2017. I was offered the same in return for the 17 months that I was in jail.

I have been offered and I rejected tens of offers, and I rejected all of them. All these offers wanted me to admit funding Palestinian organizations from the humanitarian aid [funds]. They went after international humanitarian organizations in an effort to tighten the blockade on Gaza.

How did you evaluate the evidence presented against you in court?

There is a huge discrepancy in the evidence that they presented to the court. There is a clear forgery, which is aimed at convicting me. The biggest problem was the original documents, of their own evidence, which shows huge  [inaccuracies] in the translation from Arabic to Hebrew.

They fabricated the evidence that is connected to what the collaborator claimed. All evidence that was presented was written by the collaborator in his own handwriting, and then it was fabricated. We showed in the court that the collaborator has a large criminal record and is a specialist in forgeries. My lawyer and I have since submitted a forgery complaint to the Israel Police Fraud unit. This collaborator even tried to convince me to accept a plea for anything that our humanitarian organization did, even if it is not in Gaza.

Israel says you helped bring steel into Gaza that was used by Hamas and other groups for militaristic operations and tunnel construction.

As to the claims of the rebar which they talked about, we never imported steel bars which they normally talk about and which are banned from entry into Gaza, they talk about hundreds and thousands of tons of metal that they claim we imported and given to Palestinian factions. This claim was never supported by simple evidence of when the steel was imported.

Israel controls all border crossings and they could have easily provided this information but this was yet another fabricated claim that was made in the press and generally in the court documents but no detail or any other evidence was provided. The fact is no such steel that they spoke of was ever imported by us.

Do you think the court’s proceedings have been fair to you?

The court is unjust; they have imposed restrictions on the defense lawyer, which shows it is not neutral or fair.

The court is always hostile in dealing with my lawyer while giving all the requests of the prosecutor. The prosecutor publicly keeps threatening me that the court will continue to be delayed in a way to force me to make a plea so as not to show that the state of Israel has been lying. All the decisions from the court have been to protect the Shabak [intelligence service] and the collaborator.

While you were heading World Vision’s Gaza office, what was the maximum amount of money that you were allowed to spend?

The maximum amount I am allowed to spend by myself is $300. The Gaza office’s maximum amount that it can spend after the approval of the operations director and financial director in Jerusalem is $15,000.

Both you and World Vision have stated throughout the entire trial that you have never diverted funds, and that your office was regularly audited by consultants from PricewaterhouseCoopers. If the case against you is not based on evidence, why do you think you are being prosecuted? everyone will abandon me

The [Israeli] interrogator told me a number of times that the Israeli lies were made because they were sure everyone will abandon me including my organization, the Palestinian government, and my family, and that in the end I will be forced to accept a plea bargain just to get out of jail.

How has World Vision responded to both your arrest and this case?

To be honest I am not happy with the [relative] silence of my organization, which had a negative effect on me. I appreciate that many of the organization’s staff came and testified on my behalf. My salary was stopped since my arrest and my family has financially suffered and has been forced to depend on help.

How many times has your family visited you during the past five years?

My family has visited me only 10 times in the past five years. Once my mother, twice from my children. These were organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

If and when you are released, what do you plan to do?

When I am released, I will continue my humanitarian work which I grew up on, and will defend justice. I am convinced of the importance of humanitarian work to all without discrimination based on gender or any other basis. I am sure that if I knew of a needy Israeli family, I would provide the same kind of help as I would to a Palestinian family. I don’t care about the political backgrounds of people and my message to the world is that justice and not hate is the best way to build bridges of peace.

Is there anything else you would like people to know?

I would like to conclude, to the world, that the claims that the Israeli prosecutor has issued against me are fabricated and aimed at stopping the humanitarian work I and others are doing for the people of Gaza.

*Questions have been edited for clarity 

Updated: 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 25, 2021.

Daoud Kuttab
Daoud Kuttab is an award-winning Palestinian journalist and former Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University. Follow him on Twitter @daoudkuttab.

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