Conservatives Demand Congress Defund Palestinian Terror Groups

Most Americans are unaware – indeed most would find it unbelievable – that the United States government has poured billions of dollars into the coffers of the Palestinian organizations and quasigovernment entities that have for decades been waging war against Israel.

But it’s true, and it should have stopped a long time ago, and it absolutely must stop now.

According to the Associated Press, from 2014-2020, U.N. agencies spent nearly $4.5 billion in Gaza (much of it from US taxpayers) including $600 million in 2020 alone. More than 80% of that funding is channeled through the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, who make up three-fourths of Gaza’s population. Some 280,000 children in Gaza attend schools run by UNRWA, which also provides health services and food aid.

Qatar has provided $1.3 billion in aid to Gaza since 2012 for construction, health services and agriculture. That includes $360 million pledged in January for 2021 and another $500 million pledged for reconstruction after the war in May. Qatar’s aid also goes to needy families and to help pay Hamas government salaries. Many Hamas terrorists are ostensibly Hamas “government employees.”

After President Donald Trump withdrew U.S. aid, President Joe Biden restarted it, with a commitment that, “Between September 2021-2024, USAID will provide over $500 million in programming to support the Palestinian people.”

And, just this past June, Joe Biden announced a contribution of $153.7 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA is little more than a money laundering operation through which fungible aid dollars are used for dual use projects that benefit the Palestinian terror networks.

For example, Germany and other European countries will spend nearly 70 million euros ($80 million) on water projects in Gaza this year, in addition to their contributions to UNRWA. Those water pipes were later diverted to rocket production to attack Israel.

Now, a broad coalition of conservative leaders and organizations, including ConservativeHQ.com, have come together to demand that Congress put an end to this travesty. The United States must not fund terrorist organizations like Hamas, that use whatever funding given to Palestinians to carry out terrorist operations and attacks like the one we just witnessed. Congress must demonstrate its unwavering support to Israel and cease funding the Palestinians.

Text of the letter and list of signers follows:

Dear Members of Congress:

We the undersigned demand the immediate and complete defunding of the Palestinians via the appropriations process underway this fiscal year. In light of the heinous war against Israel started by Hamas and supported by other Palestinian elements in the region, not one American taxpayer dollar should flow to or underwrite any Palestinian entity or person, whether government or non-government, whether direct or indirect, and whether military, political, or civilian.

The language in the relevant appropriations legislation, including continuing resolutions, composite appropriations bills, and individual appropriations bills, must be clear, very specific, comprehensive, and not able to be circumvented by unscrupulous bureaucrats.

We stand ready to assist you in any way to accomplish these objectives above. Thank you.

Most sincerely,

Paul Teller

Executive Director

Advancing American Freedom

Ed Meese III

Former Attorney General

United States of America

Robert Wilkie

Former Veterans Affairs Secretary

United States of America

Mary E. Miller

Member, IL-15

U.S. House of Representatives

Hon. Yleem D.S. Poblete, Ph.D.

Former Assistant Secretary

U.S. Department of State

Ellie Cohanim

Former Deputy Special Envoy to

Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism

U.S. Department of State

William G Boykin

Retired Lieutenant General

United States Army

Bob McEwen

Former Member for Ohio

U.S. House of Representatives

Morton A. Klein

President

Zionist Organization of America

Mitch Silberman

Co-Founder

Jewish Republican Alliance

Duvi Honig

Founder and CEO

Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce

Michele Bachmann

Dean

Regent University

Governor Scott Walker

President

Young America’s Foundation

Meghan McCain

NYT Bestselling Author

Timothy R. Head

Executive Director

Faith & Freedom Coalition

Ben Domenech

Editor at Large

The Spectator

(Professional Affiliation for ID Only)

Kristen A. Ullman

President

Eagle Forum

Josh Hammer

Senior Editor at Large

Newsweek

(Professional Affiliation for ID Only)

Steven J. Buri

President

Discovery Institute

Sarah N. Stern

Founder and President

The Endowment for Middle East Truth

Mat Staver, Esq.

Founder and Chairman

Liberty Counsel

Jonathan M. Alexandre, Esq.

Senior Counsel for Governmental Affairs

Liberty Counsel Action

Barbara Ledeen

Former Professional Staff Member

Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Donna Jackson

Director of Membership Development

Project 21 Black Leadership Network

Brad Johnson

President

Americans for Intelligence Reform

Gary L. Bauer

President

American Values

Richard Manning

President

Americans for Limited Government

Bunni Pounds

President

Christians Engaged

Maureen Blum

Executive Director

Catholics Count

Dr. Jianli Yang

Founder and President

Citizen Power Initiatives for China

Elaine Donnelly

President

Center for Military Readiness

(Professional Affiliation for ID Only)

Gary Marx

President

The Concord Fund

Hon. George K Rasley Jr

Managing Editor

ConservativeHQ.com

Jeffrey S. Trimbath

President

Maryland Family Institute

Dr. Steven J. Allen

Vice Chairman & National Field Director

The Conservative Caucus

Fran Bevan

State Leader, Pennsylvania

Phyllis Schlafly Eagles

Shea Bradley-Farrell, Ph.D.

President, Counterpoint Institute for

Policy, Research and Education

Allen Roth

President

Secure America Now

Don Feder

President

Don Feder Associates

Ron Armstrong

President

Stand Up Michigan

Carrie E. Simms

CEO

For Such A Time As This

John Pudner

President

Take Back Our Republic Action

Jason I. Poblete

President

Global Liberty Alliance

Mark J Schwartz

Councilmember

Township of Teaneck

Eli M. Gold

President

Gold Institute for International Strategy

Ginni Thomas

Founder and President

Liberty Consulting

Philippe Blumenthal

Founder and CEO

Governmental Savings Institute

C. Preston Noel III

President

Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.

Brad Louth

Retired Vice President of Finance

JPMorgan Chase & Co

Jeffrey Berk

Founder

TruthTells

Jay D. Homnick

Senior Fellow

London Center for Political Research

Deborah Weiss

Founder and President

Vigilance, Inc.

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