NGO: We send donations directly to Palestinians
It is not that the aid didn’t reach Al-Aqsa Mosque. It simply means that it did not go through the Palestinian embassy here.
AWANG SUFFIAN AWANG PIUT
Aman Palestine Bhd chief executive officer
BANGI: A pro-Palestine non-governmental organisation, Aman Palestin Bhd, said all contributions it collected have been channelled to the Palestinian people directly via its humanitarian missions.
Aman Palestine Bhd chief executive officer Awang Suffian Awang Piut said donations collected by the NGO were given directly to recipients and not through embassy channels.
“Aman Palestin has an office in Gaza from where we channel contributions. As such, all donations reached 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 hand over the donations,” he said.
He was speaking after launching the Ramadan Bersama Palestin event here yesterday.
Awang Suffian said allegations of funds not reaching the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf — the organisation that manages Islamic edifices around Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque — were not new.
He said Aman Palestine had met embassy authorities in 2012 to discuss the issue.
“In 2012, I 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 support Hamas as they feel it is more faithful to the concept of championing the freedom of Palestinians.
“Fatah, meanwhile, is dominated by the Palestine Liberation Organisation.”
He said the NGO had not encountered any issue with its donations not being channelled by the embassy authorities, seeing that the NGO could use various channels to send donations, including local Palestinians.
“It is not that the aid didn’t reach Al-Aqsa Mosque. It simply means that it did not go through the Palestinian embassy here.
“It is the nature of Malaysians to wish to donate directly. They will ask what the project is about, where the money is being channelled to,” he said.
On Tuesday, Palestine ambassador to Malaysia Walid Abu Ali said almost all donations by Malaysians for the Al Aqsa Mosque had not reached the intended target.