No BBC follow-up on Hamas recruited UNDP worker story

Back in August 2016 the BBC News website published a report concerning a UN aid worker recruited by Hamas which was notable for the omission of relevant information.UNDP Gaza report

The case recently came to a close when the UN employee was sentenced.

“A UN engineer, who had worked in the Gaza Strip and was indicted in August for abusing his post in order to aid Hamas, was sentenced to seven months in jail on Wednesday after reaching a plea deal with an Israeli court.

The man, Wahid Abdullah al-Bursh, is an employee of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which undertakes such projects as rehabilitating Gaza Strip homes damaged in warfare. […]

According to a Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) investigation, Bursh was approached shortly after the 2014 Gaza war by Husseini Suleiman, a messenger for senior Hamas commander Abu Anas al-Andor, who asked him to use his position to help the terrorist organization.

He was found guilty of providing “services to an illegal organization without intent to cause harm”, by helping build the naval commando port in the northern Gaza Strip in April and May 2015 and using his authority to transfer to the site 300 tons of construction materials to Hamas. […]

A spokesperson for UNDP assured that the agency “has zero tolerance for wrongdoing in its programs and is committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability.”

“UNDP will continue to ensure that any misconduct is immediately brought to light and addressed appropriately,” they added.

The office of the new Secretary-General to the United Nations, Antonio Guterres said it is still “studying the verdict” and has not yet released a statement on the matter.”

In the Times of Israel’s report on the story we learn that:

“UN officials argued that Borsh, as a UN employee, may qualify for immunity from prosecution and requested that they be allowed to visit him in jail.

Israel however, rejected the UN request, saying “whoever assists a terror organization cannot hide behind a claim of immunity.””

The BBC apparently does not find the UN’s attempt to shield an employee collaborating with a designated terror organisation newsworthy and has to date not produced any follow-up reporting on the story.

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