Terrorist or tourist? Aussie faces charges

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A PALESTINIAN man with Australian citizenship travelled from his home in Saudi Arabia to Israel in March, these facts are undisputed.

What remains in doubt is whether the man, Eyad Abuarga, was holidaying with his wife in Tel Aviv, as he claims, or spying for Hamas, as Israeli prosecutors claim.

He faced court on Monday to hear spying charges, but the matter was adjourned for a month.

Outside court Abuarga told reporters: “I am an Australian tourist, who came to this country with my wife to celebrate our 25th anniversary of our marriage, and ended up in jail.”

Despite being accused of being a member of Hamas and undertaking training with the terrorist organisation, the father of five denied he was a member of the group – “never was, never will”, he said.

But Israeli authorities have accused Abuarga, an IT professional, of using his computer knowledge to help Hamas. Specifically, they allege he was instructed by Hamas representatives to investigate Israeli missile tracking technology.

Abuarga is being represented by Leah Tsemel, a human rights lawyer who was one of the first Israeli lawyers to defend Palestinian rights.

The AJN tried to contact Tsemel but she was in court. However she told other reporters the charges against her client were not final and indicated there was a chance they could be downgraded.

Abuarga’s family, who are now in Australia, have maintained their father is innocent.

While Israeli authorities allege Abuarga has been meeting secretly with Hamas since 2007, visited Syria in 2008 for terrorist training and was asked by Hamas to help with encoding, his son denied the allegations.

“They are specific but are they true? I don’t think so,” Sydney-based Osama Abuarga told the ABC’s Lateline program.

Australian officials in Israel are assisting Abuarga by visiting him in detention and also attending the court hearings.

AJN STAFF