UN aid coordinator calls for ‘due legal process’ for World Vision Gaza chief

The United Nations’ Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Robert Piper calls for a “due legal process” to verify Israel accusations against World Vision International’s Gaza head Muhammad el-Halabi.

The Shin Bet last Thursday said Halabi had siphoned large parts of World Vision’s aid donations to the blockaded Strip and handed the funds to Hamas.

“The allegations…raise serious concerns for humanitarian organizations working in Gaza,” Piper says in a statement. “Redirecting relief away from its intended beneficiaries would be a profound betrayal of the trust put in a senior manager by his employer and by the organization’s donors.

“If proven by a due legal process, these actions deserve unreserved condemnation; Gaza’s demoralized and vulnerable citizens deserve so much better.”

But, he adds, “We now need to wait for the legal process to take its course. Mr El-Halabi is entitled to his right to a fair trial. International human rights law requires the process to be prompt, thorough, independent, impartial and transparent.”