Israel: World Vision worker guilty of terror charges

The Israeli government found Mohammed el-Halabi, who served as the Gaza director for the Christian aid organization World Vision from 2014 until his arrest in 2016, guilty of membership in a terrorist organization. Authorities also convicted him of providing information to a terror group, carrying a weapon, and participating in militant exercises. They accused him of funneling tens of millions of dollars to the Islamic militant group Hamas and claimed he made a confession, but neither the court’s decision nor his confession have been made public. 

What is World Vision saying? El-Halabi and the organization have both denied the charges, and an independent audit in 2017 by forensic auditors and dozens of lawyers, including former assistant U.S. attorneys, found no evidence of wrongdoing. He refused several plea bargains that would have allowed him to walk free, and his lawyer claims the confession he made to Israeli authorities was made under duress. The Israeli government has yet to sentence him, and World Vision says he plans to appeal. 

Dig Deeper: Read Lauren Dunn’s report on the debate about a pro-Palestinian resolution at a New York college.