Jewish Group Surprised by Volume of Visas Issued to Gazans

Jewish Community Caught Off Guard by the High Number of Visas Granted to Gazans

February 19, 2024 TruthUSA

Between early October and the end of December 2023, Australia issued 2,250 visas to Palestinians.

The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) expresses shock at the discovery that despite Foreign Minister Penny Wong announcing in November last year that 860 visas would be issued to people from Gaza, over 2,250 had been issued to Arab Palestinians by Dec. 31.

It claims many of these visitors’ visas may have been processed and approved within 24 hours of application and that it is inconceivable that appropriate security screening could have been undertaken.

The Association points out that Gaza is controlled by Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation, and the region is currently a war zone.

Two published surveys have shown a very high level of support for Jihadist terrorism with approximately 75 percent of the population indicating support for the barbaric Hamas terror attack of 7 October. One such survey by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, conducted in late November, found that 63 percent of Palestinians polled favored “armed struggle” as the best strategy to secure an independent state and to end, what they saw as Israel’s occupation. That represented a 10 percent rise in support since a survey conducted by the same center three months ago. News reports from Gaza support this contention. AJA President Dr. David Adler said the Labor government was exhibiting a reckless disregard for the safety and security of Australian citizens. It is almost certain Australia is importing Hamas supporters and those who celebrated the 7 October terrorism.

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It is possible we are bringing in Hamas members and operatives. We may even be bringing in some who participated in or assisted the 7 October terrorism. Strict character, security, and identity checks must be undertaken as part of the visitor visa process, even for children. For a visa to be approved, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation has to assess whether the applicant is a direct or indirect security risk. The government says visa requests from conflict zones may receive priority, and there may be an increase to the number Australia would usually accept, but these visas exist as part of Australia’s immigration system and have not been specially created. The visa in question is subclass 600, which allows for temporary entry for up to 12 months. In most cases, people will live with family in Australia. In November, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton criticized the speed at which the visas were being issued, characterizing the process as “a desktop search from a person in Canberra in the Immigration Department, without the requisite security checks being undertaken [which] is reckless and it’s also dangerous.”

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