A human rights lawyer has emerged as a pivotal figure in the operation to repatriate a group of ISIS brides and their children to Australia within days. While Sydney doctor Jamal Rifi has garnered much public attention and assisted in securing passports for the women, retired Jewish lawyer Robert Van Aalst is understood to have played a central role in the final stages of the process, according to sources directly involved in the negotiations.
Key Role in Negotiations
Van Aalst is said to have spent recent months orchestrating confidential meetings with family members and overseas contacts, managing travel logistics, and liaising with Syrian-linked contacts, sources told The Australian. The publication also reports he has spoken with up to four Australians who are being lined up to travel to the Middle East to help escort the group from Damascus and Qatar through to Australia.
'He's controlling everything,' one source said. 'He wants everything under his control.' Van Aalst has also been accused of operating with extreme secrecy during negotiations, including organising face-to-face meetings where people were asked to leave phones and smartwatches outside rooms.
Departure from Al Roj Camp
The remaining group of women and children were spotted on board a bus leaving Syria's Al Roj internment camp on Thursday afternoon local time, heading towards Damascus. The latest group includes six women and 14 children, with the majority expected to fly into Sydney, while the rest will return to Melbourne. Some of the children are reportedly dealing with medical complications, including one child previously reported to have suffered shrapnel injuries. One of the women is expected to remain in Syria after being subjected to an exclusion order imposed by the Albanese government.
Legal Support for Charged Brides
While Van Aalst has been busy coordinating travel arrangements, he has also been seen supporting some of the returned brides who were charged with crimes against humanity-related offences earlier this month. He was seen leaving Melbourne Magistrates Court on May 11 alongside Abraham Abbas, a relative of mother-daughter duo Kawsar Abbas, 53, and Zeinab Ahmad, 31, who are facing multiple slavery charges. Abbas' niece, Janai Safar, who arrived in Sydney with her nine-year-old son, was charged with joining a terrorist organisation and travelling to a declared conflict zone. Abbas' eldest daughter, Zahra Ahmad, 33, was the only woman not to be arrested.
Van Aalst has also used his status as a lawyer to visit some of the women while they are in custody, giving him access even some relatives do not have. 'Everyone thinks Jamal Rifi was running this,' one source told The Australian. 'He wasn't. It was Robert. He was the one pulling all of the strings.'
Government Stance
The Albanese Government has repeatedly insisted it has not provided the Islamic State-linked women and children with any assistance. The Daily Mail has contacted Van Aalst for comment.
