Millions of American tax dollars were funneled to Palestinian NGOs based in the West Bank and Gaza which introduced children to convicted terrorists, presented them as role models, and publicly demonstrated support for terrorists and terrorist organizations, according to a Wednesday report.
A new report released Wednesday from the Israeli watchdog NGO Monitor analyzed the nearly $500 million in relief funds United States Agency for International Development (USAID) allocated in the Palestinian territories between 2015-2019 and found that several Palestinian groups received funding as secondary grantees.
“Many of these incidents occurred before grants were issued, indicating a failure to properly vet grantees. Additionally, several of them took place during the grant period, reflecting the need to continue to monitor grantees after funds are approved,” the report said.
In one case, Palestinian NGO Juzoor for Health and Social Development, which received $6.63 million from various USAID grants, reportedly hosted a program in which children created posters, photos, and animated films — several of which contained violent and anti-semitic content.
One poster reportedly said, “education is like a rocket, it achieves freedom.”
It also hosted a program that reportedly introduced children to several members of the U.S. designated terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) who the program’s director referred to as “heroes,” giants” and “fighters.”
One example was Yasin Abu Khdeir, who was convicted in 1987 for supplying the murder weapon in the shooting of an Israeli citizen and released in 2014, according to the report.
Another example included Ahmed Khalaf, who was arrested in 1992 and sentenced to 21 years in prison for “stabbing a Jewish settler and throwing a Molotov cocktail on settlers’ stores in Alsilsila Gate” in Jerusalem, according to the report.
Another Palestinian NGO, Jabal An-Nar Club, received $226,519 from USAID. The NGO shared a video on Facebook of its youth group in a protest tent chanting, “we are with the prisoners until death… we are behind you until liberation … Resist until death … Intifada until death,” according to the report.
Shweki Sport and Cultural Club received $63,360 in 2017. They posted a picture on Facebook of executive committee member Ibtisam Saleh participating in an event supporting Karim Younes, who is currently serving a 40-year sentence for the kidnap and murder of an IDF soldier, according to the report.
The report also laid out several recommendations for USAID to avoid sub-grantees with ties to terrorism. (‘The Hamas Caucus’: Republicans Launch Explosive Term For Ocasio-Cortez ‘Squad’)
“Before approving grantees, USAID must conduct a thorough review of the websites and social media accounts of potential partners, including sub-grantees. This material should be reviewed to ensure that potential grantees are not tied to terrorist organizations, do not espouse or glorify violence, and do not promote antisemitic tropes and rhetoric.”
The report comes on the heels of the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas in which thousands of rockets were fired into the Jewish State by the U.S. designated terrorist organization.
Israel’s Iron Dome intercepts rockets fired by Hamas in Gaza
pic.twitter.com/qTcquz5brY— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 10, 2021
The Biden administration in April also quietly reversed a Trump-era freeze on relief aid to the Palestinian territories.