Staff Reports
NGO Monitor, an Israeli research group, has reported that the Biden administration once again showed its ineptitude in foreign aid by providing funding to numerous Palestinian organizations that endorse and laud terrorism. Despite claims of diligently scrutinizing aid applicants, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) disbursed thousands of dollars in 2022 to groups headed by individuals who celebrate violent acts.
Biden admin continues to fund Palestinian groups supporting terrorists, watchdog says https://t.co/17IVaS9UIC
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) May 1, 2023
One of these organizations is the Palestinian Charity for Youth Economic Empowerment (CYEE), which was granted $76,000 to assist "60 emerging female leaders," many of whom support the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an organization designated by the United States as a terrorist group. The CYEE's Project Coordinator, Haneen Al-Qawasm, even praised a PFLP spokesperson as a "revolutionary" and martyr in a Facebook post.
USAID granted $78,000 to the Community Development and Continuing Education Institute (CDCE-I), an organization that aims to promote youth participation in local governance. Nonetheless, board members of this organization have consistently expressed their support for Palestinian terrorists who perpetrate attacks and kill innocent Israelis. One board chair was even captured in a photograph at a PFLP event, a group recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States.
In a similar vein, the Holy Land Trust (HLT) was awarded $41,000 by USAID, and it is associated with terrorism. Elias D'eis, the Executive Director of HLT, was chosen to be part of a delegation with the Israel-designated terrorist organization Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) that collaborated with media outlets. HLT has also campaigned for the release of Khalida Jarrar, who was given a two-year prison sentence for her affiliation with the PFLP.
The report's results indicate that USAID has not taken adequate measures to ensure that its grantees uphold the values and objectives of the United States. Funding Palestinian organizations that support and glorify terrorism with taxpayer money damages the country's international image as a peaceful and influential nation. It is expected that the Biden administration will learn from this and take decisive action to cease supporting groups with such abhorrent beliefs.
