The government of Netherlands has suspended funding to the Palestinian Authority-based Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) in Ramallah after the NGO Monitor watchdog organization exposed salary payments to two employees who are indicted as terrorists by the State of Israel for the murder of a 17-year-old Israeli girl during an outing with her father and brother last summer.
NGO Monitor praised the Dutch government this week for acknowledging that Netherlands funded the salaries of the two NGO employees, Abdul Razaq Farraj and Samer Arbid, who both were employed by the Dutch-funded NGO Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC). Both are charged as terrorists.
After our research was raised in ?? parliament, Dutch gov’t acknowledges funding salaries of NGO employees indicted for murder of Rina Shnerb & says it will open investigation into NGO terror-links.
We applaud the Dutch statement & await…(1/n) pic.twitter.com/GN8A91XNMf
— NGO Monitor (@NGOmonitor)
Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Stef Blok and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sigrid Kaag admitted to the Dutch House of Representatives on Monday that the two suspects, Farraj and Arbid, were paid from Dutch taxes.
Pic says it all.?? diplomats w/ terror-tied NGO staff (from R)
?Ubai Aboudi: was UAWC officer; Now in prison, recruiting for PFLP
?Abdul Razeq Farraj: was UAWC Finance & Admin. Dir. Now in prison, indicted for aiding murder of Rina Shnerbhttps://t.co/wlxBO4ag07 pic.twitter.com/RoOBjbXKbI— NGO Monitor (@NGOmonitor)
Arbid, who oversaw the accounts of the UAWC, is charged with having led the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist cell that carried out the bombing attack on 17-year-old Rina, her father and her brother during their outing at a spring near Dolev in August 2019. Rina was killed instantly; her father and brother were seriously wounded in the attack.
Farraj, a senior PFLP member with several prison terms to his “credit” for past terrorist activity, was charged with ordering the bombing.
…serious sanctions, return of ~$20M paid to the NGO & safeguards to prevent future misuse of funds.
We long warned of ?? support for the terror-tied NGO, UAWC & our research identified employees among the Rina Shnerb murder suspects (2/n)https://t.co/456qepewcV
— NGO Monitor (@NGOmonitor)
“After our research was raised in the Netherlands Parliament, the Dutch government acknowledged funding the salaries of two NGO employees who were indicted for the murder of Rina Shnerb and said it will open an investigation into the NGO’s terrorist links,” the NGO Monitor wrote in a tweet.
We alerted the ?? gov’t several times in the past regarding UAWC’s terror links, as well as its employment of 2 individuals indicted for the murder of Rina Shnerb.
Here is a letter from October 2019 & another from June 2020. pic.twitter.com/BC0mrc0bO0
— NGO Monitor (@NGOmonitor)
“We applaud the Dutch statement and await serious sanctions, the return of the $20 million paid to the NGO and safeguards to prevent future misuse of such funds,” the NGO Monitor added.
Holland Admits it Paid 2 Terrorists Responsible for Murder of Israeli Teen
The NGO Monitor research warned consistently that Dutch funds have long supported groups such as the UAWC; it also specifically warned about this particular NGO and its employees.
From 2017 to 2019, “the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided $8 million” to the UAWC. According to the NGO Monitor, the UAWC’s accountant, general director and board members “all have ties to the PFLP.”