In International Development questions this week in the House of Commons, CFI Vice-Chairman Andrew Percy MP raised his concerns over reports that international aid intended to support coronavirus relief efforts in the West Bank and Gaza has been sent to organisations with links to terrorism.
The Conservative MP for Brigg and Goole highlighted that while there had been “some excellent working between the Palestinian Authority and Israel” in response to the pandemic, “an investigation has shown that groups funded by the OCHA – the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – and the World Health Organisation have links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is a proscribed terrorist organisation”.
He asked the Minister for the Middle East, Rt. Hon. James Cleverly MP, to confirm that “no UK aid money has been channelled in that way”.
The Middle East Minister said that the UK maintains “robust measures to ensure that aid is not diverted”. He added: “We are determined to continue to play our responsible part in cross-Government approaches to support the Palestinian people and to work towards peace in the region”.
An investigation carried out by the NGO Monitor research institute last month found that several groups receiving funds from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the World Health Organisation are tied to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a terror group by Israel, the EU, the US and Canada.
“Among OCHA’s NGO partners with ties to the PFLP are the Health Work Committees (HWC), Union of Health Work Committees (UHWC), Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC), and Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)”, the report found.
Several leading PFLP figures are believed to work for NGOs on this list, including Samer Arbid, UAWC’s Financial Director and HWC’s Financial Administration Director Waleed Hanatsheh. Both individuals are currently standing trial for commanding and financing a PFLP terror cell that carried out a bombing attack in August 2019 that killed 17-year old Israeli Rina Shnerb and injured her father and brother.
The UK does not proscribe the PFLP, though the Treasury lists both the PFLP and the PFLP General Command (listed as a terror group) as being subject to financial sanctions.
Contributors to the COVID-19 emergency response plan included Canada, the EU, France, Germany, Ireland, Kuwait, Sweden, Norway, Spain and the UK.
