October 11, 2024
A Palestinian man granted a visa to Australia said his deceased son, who was a member of a listed terror organisation, was encouraged to "wage jihad against the usurping entity" and his grandson is being raised on the "same path," parliament has heard.
The Coalition has questioned how artist Fayez Elhasani passed the character test in the Migration Act, given his family connections and personal interactions with terror groups in Gaza. It has accused Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke of being "missing in action" over the case.
Further concerns have been raised amid revelations Mr Elhasani appeared to openly talk about his son's militant "jihad" against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
His son, Remah Fayez AlHasani, was a member of the al-Quds Brigades, the military arm of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which Australia has designated a terrorist organisation.
Remah was killed in 2011, with the militants blaming an Israeli air strike for his death.
Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson told the Senate on Thursday about a Facebook post shared after Mr Elhasani attended the second international Al-Aqsa Call conference in Karbala, Iraq organised by the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine in August 2023.
The Return to Palestine account posted an image of Mr Elhasani speaking about his dead son, quoted as saying: "Ramah's (sic) mother encouraged him to wage jihad against the usurping entity and today his son is being raised on the same path and way of jihad until ... liberation of Palestine." Mr Paterson said the quote, which he read in the Senate, was "concerning" as it suggested Mr Elhasani was "fully aware of his son's involvement in the activities of a listed terrorist organisation, and implies he is raising his grandson to follow in his father's footsteps".
Mr Elhasani settled in Sydney in July after losing 10 of his family members in an Israeli missile strike following the October 7 Hamas terror attack.
Mr Paterson questioned how his visa was granted and whether it was assessed by ASIO before it was granted.
"(Mr Burke) must front up immediately to answer these questions and guarantee to the Australian people the Albanese government has not, and will not, grant a single visa to any individual with links to a listed terrorist organisation," he said.
The Herald Sun also previously revealed Mr Elhasani had another deceased son, Mohammed Fayez Al-Hassani, who was involved in the PIJ.
Mr Elhasani was contacted for comment.
