October 9, 2024
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 10 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 demanded an explanation for how the artist gained a visa, given past comments by ASIO directorgeneral Mike Burgess that an example such as liking a proHamas tweet could constitute a security red flag.
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 d the process, with a spokesman for Mr r Burke saying "everyone from Gaza granted a visa since e October 7 has been n checked by our security agencies".
"Our security agencies never stop gathering information and if f new information n comes to hand about t any potential threat to o community safety we e will act," he said.
Mr Elhasani has s been contacted for r comment.
RAWASI INSTITUTE The institute was s founded in 2013 to develop Palestinian culture and art and d present national "resistance" media, ac- cording to Israel's Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre.
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 t the US, Japan, Canada a and the European Union. U 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".
FAMILY TERROR CONNECTIONS Mr Elhasani was not a member of any of the organisations present, but he has several deceased brothers and sons who were part of listed terror groups.
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 AlAbd Elhasani 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.
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".
Two of Mr Elhasani's late sons were also involved in the PIJ: Mohammed Fayez Elhasani was an operational unit commander, and Remah Fayez Elhasani 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.
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 death toll. "The number is increasing, so far 700 Israeli dead, praise be to god," he posted along with a smiley face emoji.
GAZA VISAS POLITICAL STOUSH There have been at least 2922 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 said he was dealing with Palestinians who had initially travelled to Australia on tourist visitor visas on a "case-by-case" basis, saying, "we're doing all the full checks that you'd expect."
