Palestinian envoy to Australia Izzat Salah Abdulhadi slams government for ‘restrictions’ on Gazan visas
The top Palestinian diplomat in Australia has condemned refugee visa vetting, and labelled Peter Dutton’s stance on the issue as ‘not evidence-based’.
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The Palestinian envoy to Australia has taken aim at the Albanese government’s “restrictive process” of issuing visas to Gazans looking at fleeing the war, while claiming they could have a “substantial” contribution to the economy.
After a heated week of parliamentary debate over Australia’s tourist visa policy for Palestinians, de facto Ambassador Izzat Salah Abdulhadi dismissed Peter Dutton’s remarks as “politically motivated” and not “evidence-based”.
The Opposition Leader has escalated the Coalition’s rhetoric against Palestinians fleeing Gaza by criticising the security checking process for visa applications and urging a temporary, blanket pause. He claimed no one fleeing Gaza should be allowed to come to Australia due to unspecified national security risks.
But the top Palestinian diplomat said many refugees were highly educated and would have a “substantial contribution to the economy of Australia”.
A fact-sheet from the consular registry compiled information from a sample of 250 Palestinians granted a visa shows 25 per cent were Christian and 75 per cent were Muslim. The data shows 80 per cent had an undergraduate degree.
“based on our initial findings from the fact sheet, I think Mr Dutton’s comments are totally unacceptable and not evidence-based. Of course we know they were made for political gains unfortunately,” Mr Abdulhadi told The Australian.
“The fact-sheet examined shows 80 per cent of the applicants are undergraduates, so they’re profile is really impressive. So accusations that these guys are Hamas sympathisers falls short.”
Mr Abdulhadi claimed the 1300 Gazans who arrived in Australia were subject to a rigorous vetting and security check and accused the government of “unfair” restrictive conditions on extended members of families wanting to flee the war.
He also revealed that more than 4000 visas were granted, compared to the previous estimate of nearly 3000.
“I think the government is holding back when adopting this restrictive policy, which is restricting visas to immediate family members,” he said. “Their definition of immediate family members is just spouses and children under the age of 18-years-old, while (previously) they issued visas to parents, uncles, and to more relatives in Gaza.
“It’s become more restrictive now because of this debate in the parliament and because of the opposition comments on the new arrivals of Gaza as if they are security threats. So I think this is not fair at all.”
On Wednesday, Sky News reported that police sources in NSW expressed their concerns over tourist visas being issued to Hamas supporters, citing more rigorous checks were done on the young children of ISIS brides than Palestinians arriving in Australia from “terrorist hotspots”.
Immigration Minister Tony Burke’s office confirmed that the visas of 23 Palestinians were cancelled after they had been issued and when they were already en route to Australia.
Mr Abdulhadi, who heads the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, said he was aware of two of those cases, but would not specify the conditions which led to their cancellations.
Mr Burke has previously announced he will look at ways to allow Palestinians who fled the war to Australia to stay longer, saying no country should send people back to the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Streamlined visa applications, higher approval rates and less restrictions on extended family members being granted entry to Australia were among the changes to visa arrangements the foreign diplomat said he would like to see.
The envoy has recently come under fire over his endorsement of the Free Palestine Printing business, which is being investigated by the Australian Federal Police for distributing anti-Semitic stickers and terror insignia at pro-Palestine rallies across Melbourne and Sydney.
The volunteer group was awarded a certificate of recognition on behalf of the Embassy for “their generous assistance and support for recent arrivals to Australia from the Gaza Strip.”
The award, that was signed by Mr Abdulhadi, has been labelled as reckless and unconscionable by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ).
Photographs obtained by The Australian revealed pro-Palestine activists wearing Hezbollah and Hamas emblems unimpeded, despite criminal legislation outlawing the usage of the two terror groups’ symbols.
Anti-Semitic stickers, signs, colouring books for children and pictures of Hamas members wearing the terror group’s associated headbands were among the things on display.
“Anyone who distributes this content is knowingly or unknowingly engaged in racial vilification and for the (unofficial) ambassador to endorse this behaviour on Australian streets is reckless and unconscionable,” ECAJ’s co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said.
“On a daily basis, I am contacted by community members appalled by this vandalism of buildings and public spaces.”
“Stickers describing all supporters of Palestinian statehood as terrorists would be called racist. If images of indigenous people engaged in conduct associated with racist stereotypes appeared this would be condemned too,” Mr Ryvchin said.
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