BANGI: A pro-Palestine non-governmental organisation, Aman Palestin Bhd, has maintained that contributions by Malaysians towards the Palestinian people are channeled to the recipients directly via its various humanitarian missions.
Aman Palestine Bhd chief executive officer Awang Suffian Awang Piut said donations collected by the NGO were issued directly to the recipients and not through embassy channels.
“Aman Palestin has an office in Gaza, from where we channel contributions directly. As such, all donations by the people reach the recipients.
“The Palestine issue is a major one and needs the involvement of all. We do not direct our funds via a single channel.
“NGOs in Malaysia would hand over the donations via humanitarian missions; they would go to the West Bank, Gaza and the Al-Aqsa Mosque to personally hand over the donations,” he said.
He was speaking at a press conference after launching the Ramadan Bersama Palestin (RBP) 2020 event here today.
Awang Suffian said allegations of funds not reaching the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf - the organisation which manages Islamic edifices around Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque - were not new.
He said Aman Palestine had in 2012 met with embassy authorities to discuss the issue.
“In 2012, I had personally explained the matter to the Palestinian ambassador in Malaysia.
“We have to look at Palestine’s position in terms of the political division. Palestine is divided between Hamas and Fatah.
“Many Malaysians are supportive of Hamas’ cause as they feel it is more faithful to the concept of championing the freedom of Palestinians. Fatah, meanwhile, is dominated by the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation),” he said.
He said until now, the NGO had yet to encounter any issue with its donations not being channeled by the embassy authorities, seeing that the NGO could use various channels including the locals themselves.
“It is not aid that hasn’t reached the Al-Aqsa Mosque, simply that it does not go through the Palestinian embassy in Malaysia. It is the nature of Malaysians to wish to donate directly; they would ask what the project is about, where the money is being channeled to,” he said.
On Tuesday, Palestine ambassador to Malaysia, Walid Abu Ali had said that donations by Malaysians to Palestine for the purpose of developing and liberating the Al-Aqsa Mosque had not reached the intended target.