KUALA LUMPUR – The Palestine embassy here has characterised claims that it had sought donations from a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) as “totally untrue”.
In a statement today, the embassy said its ambassador has always emphasised transparency regarding donations and that all fundraising activities must be conducted under the supervision, monitoring, and control of the Malaysian authorities.
“However, in compliance with the instructions of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, Palestine, the embassy is always ready and will spare no efforts to provide assistance and facilitation through the diplomatic channels,” the embassy said.
The embassy’s statement was in response to allegations made by the embattled NGO Aman Palestin Bhd (AP), which claimed that the graft controversy surrounding its channelling of funds was due to a “misunderstanding” because it was not done through the ambassador.
Palestinian ambassador to Malaysia, Walid Abu Ali, clarified details of sending humanitarian aid to Palestine amid allegations made by AP.
In a response to Scoop, Walid said the Palestinian embassy here coordinates with the Malaysian Foreign Ministry and its humanitarian mission, Ops Ihsan, to facilitate aid to Gaza via Egypt’s Al-Arish Airport – one of the closest airports to the Gaza Strip.
The envoy also said the Egyptian Red Crescent Society is involved in efforts to facilitate the handing over of donations to Palestinians.
It was previously reported that more than RM70 million of AP’s funds were funnelled to a company, which allegedly used them to make cash investments and to buy gold and property.
This was uncovered by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission after conducting five raids on November 24, including on the said company.
It was also reported that investigators found that the company owned 27 assets, such as buildings and plots of land, as well as money being transferred to other companies.
On Sunday, it was reported that four 1kg Grade 999.9 gold bullion bars were among the items seized during the raids.
Meanwhile, the embassy shared four direct methods to channel donations to Palestine, namely the Malaysian Foreign Affairs Ministry (Akaun Amanah Kemanusiaan Palestin – CIMB Islamic Bank Bhd, 86-0030248-9), the Malaysian embassies in Jordan and Egypt, and the bank account of the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The embassy said it is important to note that Palestine is currently under Israeli occupation and that all its air, sea, and land borders are now under the control of the Israeli forces.
“Therefore, to facilitate the entry of in-kind aid into Palestine, coordination must be made through the neighbouring countries (Egypt and Jordan), i.e. the goods intended to be brought into Gaza must pass through the Egyptian authorities, while the goods intended to be brought into the West Bank and Jerusalem must enter through the Jordanian authorities,” the embassy said.
The embassy also thanked the Malaysian government and people for their great historical stance towards the Palestinian people, politically, morally, and financially.
“The Palestinians will never forget the distinguished, noble and ethical imprint that Malaysia and its great nation left during the struggle of Palestinians over many decades, full of sacrifices and challenges, and again, Malaysia has proven to be one of the strongest supporters and defenders of the Palestinian cause,” it added. – November 29, 2023