Jewish Group Surprised by Volume of Visas Issued to Gazans

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

Palestine supporters rally outside the Sydney Opera House on October 09, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza by land, sea, and air, over the weekend, killing over 600 people and wounding more than 2000, agency reports said. Reports also said Israeli soldiers and civilians have been kidnapped by Hamas and taken into Gaza. The attack prompted a declaration of war by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and ongoing retaliatory strikes by Israel on Gaza killing hundreds in the aftermath. Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) says it is “shocked” to learn from Senate Estimates 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 ... 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,” it said.

63 Percent Support Armed Struggle: Survey

One such survey by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, conducted in late November, found that 63 percent of Palestinians polled favoured “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 centre 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.

“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 Tests Applied, Government Says

The government, however, says all Palestinians offered temporary Australian visas have undergone the necessary security checks, as have the more than 1,700 Israeli citizens who have been granted temporary visas, and that there are still strict character, security, and identity checks that 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.

Australia is a member of Five Eyes, which includes the UK, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand, as well as the ASEAN countries—this gives authorities access to the databases of its partner nations.

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 criticised the speed at which the visas were being issued, characterising 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.”