Palestinian man’s visa called into question due to terror links

A Palestinian man granted a visa to Australia has previously hosted political members of listed terror organisation at his Gaza art institute, and had multiple brothers and sons affiliated with the same violent groups.

EXCLUSIVE

A Palestinian man was granted a visa to Australia despite once hosting political members of Hamas and other terror organisations at his Gaza art institute, and having brothers and sons linked to banned groups.

The Opposition has demanded an explanation for how visual artist Fayez Elhasani was let into the country in July, questioning how he passed the visa character test.

Mr Elhasani, who was the director-general of the Rawasi Palestine Institute before the war, came to Australia after ten members of his family – including his wife and several young grandchildren – were killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza in the wake of the October 7 Hamas terror attack.

But his arrival has sparked questions about the visa screening process as social media posts show Mr Elhasani hosted a 2019 meeting of Palestinian faction leaders at the Institute, where he called for the Israeli occupation to be confronted by “all possible means,” while Rawasi Palestine accounts have repeatedly posted pictures glorifying and supporting attacks on Israel.

It can also be revealed three of Mr Elhasani’s deceased brothers and two sons participated in groups designated as terror organisations by either Australia or its allies.

VISA CONCERNS

The Opposition has questioned the artist’s visa approval, given past comments by ASIO director-general Mike Burgess that an example such as liking a pro-Hamas tweet could constitute a security red flag.

Fayez Elhasani was granted a visa to come to Australia after ten members of his family were killed in an Israeli air strike in October 2023.

Mr Elhasani has previously told media he arrived in Sydney in July where he is staying with his daughter.

Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said Labor must “immediately clarify” Mr Elhasani’s visa process, including if his application was referred to ASIO and how he passed the character test.

Mr Paterson said anyone who “hangs out with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad or other listed terrorist organisations should not be welcome in Australia”.

“If the gravely serious allegations against Mr Elhasani are correct, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke must urgently explain what action he will now take to protect the community,” he said.

Labor has defended the process, with a spokesman for Mr Burke saying “everyone from Gaza granted a visa since October 7 has been checked by our security agencies”.

“Our security agencies never stop gathering information and if new information comes to hand about any potential threat to community safety we will act,” he said.

Mr Elhasani has been contacted for comment.

RAWASI INSTITUTE

The Institute was founded in 2013 to develop Palestinian culture and art and present national “resistance” media, according to Israel’s Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre.

Rawasi Palestine post from 2023. Picture: X

Rawasi Palestine account post from 2022. Picture: Instagram

Content posted by Rawasi Palestine during Mr Elhasani’s tenure at the institute includes a video shared in May 2023 on X showing rockets firing in the air with the caption, “O people of Gaza, glorify God … What blessed jihad your jihad is … the Palestinian resistance continues to respond and repel the brutal aggression”.

In May 2022, Rawasi shared a picture of a soldier standing on an Israeli flag with the caption “Jerusalem has one flag raised in it. Flag of Palestine”.

Meanwhile in August 2019, Mr Elhasani’s institute hosted a political meeting of Palestinian factional leaders including, Suheil al-Hindi an elected member of the Political Bureau of Hamas, Nafiz Azzam a member of the Politburo of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Saleh Nasser a member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Hamas and PIJ are listed as terror organisations in Australia, while the PFLP has been designated as a terror group by the United States, Japan, Canada and the European Union.

Fayez Elhasani, third from left, hosted a 2019 meeting and press conference of Palestinian factions at the Rawasi Institute in Gaza. Picture: Facebook

In a translated Facebook post, Mr Elhasani said he opened the factional meeting by “stressing the need to work to restore national unity, support Palestinian resistance” and “confront the occupation by all possible means to restore rights and liberate the land”.

FAMILY TERROR CONNECTIONS

Mr Elhasani was not a member of any of the organisations present, however he has several deceased brothers and sons who were part of listed terror groups.

Iyad Al-Hassani was Head of Operations Division Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

His brother, Iyad, was the head of operations division of the PIJ, while another brother, Mohamed, was also a prominent member of the group.

A third brother, Sami Al-Abd al-Hassani was a senior commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which is listed as a terror group by the US, EU and other Australian allies.

Sami al-Abd al-Hassani was a senior commander Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.

In May 2023, Lebanese news website Al Mayadeen published an interview with Mr Elhasani after Iyad was reportedly killed by Israeli forces, in which he described his slain brother as a “martyr” who had “always prepared resistance fighters who will continue to confront the enemy until the liberation of the entire land of Palestine”.

A video showing Iyad firing a rocket was posted on X by an Iranian journalist Haidar Al-Karrar commemorating his death in May 2023.

Remah Fayez Al-Hassani was an operative in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Two of Mr Elhasani’s deceased sons were also involved in the PIJ: Mohammed Fayez Al-Hassani was an operational unit commander, and Remah Fayez Al-Hassani was an operative in the group.

Mohammed, who was executive director of the Rawasi gallery while his father was director-general, was among the members of Mr Elhasani’s family killed in the Israeli air strike in October 2023.

Another of Mr Alhasani’s sons named Abdul Rahman, who is not involved in any of the organisations, gave an interview to Al Mayadeen on October 26 last year talking about his dead brother.

He said Mohammed had been “among the first people who travelled in 2012 to Iran, Lebanon and Syria, and trained in firing Kornet (anti-tank missile)”.

SON’S CELEBRATION OF OCTOBER 7

Social media accounts belonging to Mohammed remain accessible, including a post on X from October 9 last year – two days after the Hamas attack – in which he posted an update celebrating the growing death toll.

“The number is increasing, so far 700 Israeli dead, praise be to god,” he posted along with a smiley face emoji.

Mohammed Fayez Al-Hassani was a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

On October 8 the same account shared a video of Israeli women dancing on October 7 at the Nova music festival while Hamas paragliders could be seen entering in the background.

He described the terrorists as “paratroopers who came to them (the festival goers) like fate and harvested them”.

GAZA VISAS POLITICAL STOUSH

There have been at least 2,922 visas granted to Palestinians fleeing Gaza, where more than 41,000 people have been killed in the last 12 months.

Earlier this year Opposition leader Peter Dutton called for a pause in allowing people from Gaza to come to Australia due to security concerns.

Labor has criticised this stance, questioning why the Coalition appear not to trust Australia’s security agencies.

Mr Burke last week revealing he was dealing with Palestinians who had initially travelled to Australia on tourist visitor visas on a “case-by-case” basis.

“Some of the people who I’ve been meeting with, I’ve been transferring them on to humanitarian visas,” he said.

“We’re doing all the full checks that you’d expect in terms of security checks an everything that gets done.”

MINISTER RESPONDS

Former Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has moved to defended Australia’s national security framework, reinforcing the strength of the country’s security agencies.

“What I know is that we have some of the finest National Security Agencies in the world, people who have worked hard to protect Australians, who have been able to protect us from significant harm that could have befallen our citizens,” she said on Sunrise on Wednesday.

Ms O’Neil, who is now Housing and Homelessness Minister, also reassured the public about the integrity of the visa process, saying, “What I know is that the visa process here is robust; that every single person who has received a visa from Gaza has been checked by ASIO; and I have real confidence in the people who are doing that hard work for our people and our government.”

Minister Clare O'Neil. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

However, when asked directly about Mr Elhasani, Ms O’Neil refrained from commenting on the specifics of the case.

“I’m sorry, I can’t speak to the individual circumstances of this particular person,” she said on Sunrise.

“What I can tell you is that there’s a really good process in place here. Every single person who’s got a visa from Gaza has been checked individually by ASIO, not just that but ASIO actually conducts continuous intelligence checks on people who are here on visas, and I do have confidence in that process.”