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UN worker accused of 'aiding Hamas' jailed
UN worker accused of 'aiding Hamas' jailed
A UN worker was accused by Israel of aiding Hamas by "moving some rubble" which the Islamist group controlling Gaza used to build a military jetty.
2 min read
The worker was convicted of unknowingly helping Hamas [AFP]
A Palestinian UN worker accused by Israel of aiding the Islamist group Hamas by "moving some rubble" was sentenced to seven months' jail on Wednesday.
Waheed Borsh was convicted of "rendering services to an illegal organisation without intention", his lawyer Lea Tsemel told AFP.
The case centred on accusations that rubble in Gaza under the responsibility of the UNDP was misused by Hamas which controls the enclave.
Israel originally alleged that Borsh had been recruited by Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organisation by the European Union, the United States and Israel, and had deliberately diverted rubble to a port, which was then used to build a military jetty.
But Tsemel stressed that her client had been convicted only of unintentionally aiding the Islamists by "moving some rubble".
"The prosecution claimed that he should have checked better as this could have helped Hamas," she said.
Borsh was arrested in July and with time already served and good behaviour, is expected to be released on January 12. The Israeli justice ministry confirmed the plea deal, saying that it also included eight months' probation.
Borsh's employer, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said the deal showed there had been no wrongdoing by the organisation.
'Misuse of aid'
Coming shortly after accusations against a senior employee of the World Vision NGO, the case caused a major stir in Israel, with officials accusing the UN of naivete and alleging systematic misuse of aid by Hamas.
Israel has long alleged that Hamas has sought to infiltrate humanitarian organisations and divert aid, accusations the Islamist movement denies.
But they also say materials taken into Gaza are subject to some of the strictest monitoring in the world and that the blockade is preventing needed goods from entering the impoverished enclave.
More than two thirds of the population of the Gaza Strip, which Israel has blockaded for a decade, are reliant on some form of aid, according to the UN.
Trumpeted
The allegations against the UNDP, which were first announced in August, as well as the more serious ones against World Vision's Gaza head Mohammed al-Halabi, were trumpeted by Israeli officials.
Halabi is accused of siphoning millions of dollars to Hamas in a case still in the Israeli courts.
Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the UN, said at the time the cases were evidence of a "troubling trend of the systematic exploitation by Hamas".
The UNDP said it had "zero tolerance for wrongdoing", but that the Borsh case did not prove deliberate intent.
"This outcome confirms that there was no wrongdoing by UNDP," the body said in a statement.
Waheed Borsh was convicted of "rendering services to an illegal organisation without intention", his lawyer Lea Tsemel told AFP.
The case centred on accusations that rubble in Gaza under the responsibility of the UNDP was misused by Hamas which controls the enclave.
Israel originally alleged that Borsh had been recruited by Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organisation by the European Union, the United States and Israel, and had deliberately diverted rubble to a port, which was then used to build a military jetty.
But Tsemel stressed that her client had been convicted only of unintentionally aiding the Islamists by "moving some rubble".
"The prosecution claimed that he should have checked better as this could have helped Hamas," she said.
Borsh was arrested in July and with time already served and good behaviour, is expected to be released on January 12. The Israeli justice ministry confirmed the plea deal, saying that it also included eight months' probation.
Borsh's employer, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said the deal showed there had been no wrongdoing by the organisation.
'Misuse of aid'
Coming shortly after accusations against a senior employee of the World Vision NGO, the case caused a major stir in Israel, with officials accusing the UN of naivete and alleging systematic misuse of aid by Hamas.
Israel has long alleged that Hamas has sought to infiltrate humanitarian organisations and divert aid, accusations the Islamist movement denies.
But they also say materials taken into Gaza are subject to some of the strictest monitoring in the world and that the blockade is preventing needed goods from entering the impoverished enclave.
More than two thirds of the population of the Gaza Strip, which Israel has blockaded for a decade, are reliant on some form of aid, according to the UN.
Trumpeted
The allegations against the UNDP, which were first announced in August, as well as the more serious ones against World Vision's Gaza head Mohammed al-Halabi, were trumpeted by Israeli officials.
Halabi is accused of siphoning millions of dollars to Hamas in a case still in the Israeli courts.
Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the UN, said at the time the cases were evidence of a "troubling trend of the systematic exploitation by Hamas".
The UNDP said it had "zero tolerance for wrongdoing", but that the Borsh case did not prove deliberate intent.
"This outcome confirms that there was no wrongdoing by UNDP," the body said in a statement.
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