The IRS Helps UNRWA Fund Hamas - Daniel Greenfield

 

​ by Daniel Greenfield

While nations drop support for UNRWA over terror funding, the IRS lets the cash flow.

 

[Pre-order a copy of Daniel Greenfield’s first book, Domestic Enemies, by clicking here. Orders will begin shipping on April 30th.]

Before Ismail Haniyeh became the leader of Hamas, he was a teacher at UNRWA.

The UN agency dedicated welfare agency for the Arab Muslim colonists who call themselves “Palestinians” had long since become a terrorist front.

“I am sure that there are Hamas members on the UNRWA payroll,” a former UNRWA Commissioner General said, “and I don’t see that as a crime.”

A former official boasted “that UNRWA was raising thousands and thousands of cadres” and “first and foremost, we can mention Ismail Haniyeh, who was an UNRWA teacher, and so was Dr. Talal Naji, Secretary-General of the PFLP-GC.” The PFLP is also a terrorist group.

The UNRWA’s Gaza staff has its own union. In a 2012 election, a pro-Hamas bloc won the support of most of the union with 25 out of 27 seats on a union board. When there was talk of reforming the UNRWA by removing Hamas members from its ranks, the editor of a Hamas paper wrote that, “they are all members of the ‘resistance,’ in its various forms.”

How true is that? Israeli intelligence estimates that 1 in 4 male UNRWA employees had ties to Hamas and 1 in 2 employees had family ties to terrorists.

On Oct 7, multiple UNRWA employees took part in the attack. One UNRWA teacher was recorded boasting “I’m inside, I’m inside with the Jews! We have female hostages, I captured one!” while using the Islamic term for sex slave. At least 30 UNRWA employees took part in other parts of the attack, running an ops room, carrying antitank missiles and invading Israel.

Within a group of 3,000 UNRWA staff members, there was widespread celebration on Oct 7.

Hamas kept key assets, including a data and command center, under UNRWA’s headquarters and has regularly deployed its rockets at UNRWA sites and hidden in UNRWA supplies. Hamas has taken UNRWA supplies so that aid and funding for it supplies the Islamic terror group.

As a result of these revelations and more, a number of nations paused their funding to UNRWA.

But despite evidence of Hamas ties, UNRWA USA continues to retain nonprofit status in the U.S. Providing material aid to Hamas, a sanctioned terrorist group on the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organization list, is illegal, and illegal acts violate tax code regulations.

Survivors of the Oct 7 attacks including Lishay Lavi, who had to watch along with her daughters while Hamas kidnapped her husband, David Bromberg, who hid for 7 hours while watching others at the Nova music festival being massacred by the terrorists, and Natalie Sanandaji, an American woman who had been in Israel for a wedding and then had to run for her life, along with other survivors have sued UNRWA USA.

The lawsuit alleges that “UNRWA USA collects donations in the United States and then transfers nearly all its funds to UNRWA” which “redistributes those funds to Hamas members on their payroll, some of whom are directly engaged in acts of terrorism, including but not limited to, the October 7th atrocities.”

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) depends heavily on two international NGOs, UNRWA USA and another in Spain. UNRWA USA, despite cultivating an image as an aid group, features veteran anti-Israel activists on its board, including Nadia Saah, Lara Friedman, and Shibley Telhami. The latter took part in an event with a Hamas apologist.

UNRWA USA’s report claims that it was able to provide $3.8 million to UNRWA in 2022. That money and previous funds raised by UNRWA USA could have bolstered Hamas before Oct 7.

While survivors and their families are entitled to sue UNRWA USA, the IRS has failed to act.

This is in sharp contrast to the IRS pursuit of pro-Israel groups under the Obama administration.

Z Street, one of those groups, launched a legal battle that exposed the administration’s targeting of political opponents.

Z Street’s founder, Lori Lowenthal Marcus, told Front Page Magazine that, “One of the excuses given to Z Street by an IRS official was that the IRS had to make sure we were not ‘engaged in terrorism’ because we mentioned ‘terror’ in our mission statement. The part of Z Street’s mission that mentioned terror? ‘We will not engage with, negotiate with or appease terrorists.’”

The IRS however appears to have a different position on terrorism. And that may explain its actions.

Among the more recent targets of the IRS has been the David Horowitz Freedom Center which spent 5 years battling the federal agency because we reported on Hillary Clinton’s emails.

Front Page Magazine had previously exposed the role that the IRS has played in enabling the funding and political support for Hamas in the United States by 501(c)(3) charity nonprofits.

But UNRWA may be the single large beneficiary of the IRS’ willful blindness to Islamic terrorism.

What is true of UNRWA is also true of much of the United Nations.

“Hamas is not a terrorist group for us, as you know, it is a political movement,” UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths recently argued.

But UNRWA is unique as a UN agency that functions as an employment agency for Hamas, provides it with facilities and aid, and political cover for its campaign to kill Jews.

The lawsuit by the survivors of the Hamas attacks states that, “UNRWA USA was fully aware that UNRWA employees supported, engaged in, and celebrated the terrorist attacks on October 7, but Defendant continued to fund UNRWA and its terrorist activities before, during, and after the October 7 terrorist attack.”

Even as the investigation of UNRWA goes on, the IRS has expressed no interest in examining the nonprofit status of UNRWA USA as they did Z Street, the David Horowitz Freedom Center and other conservative and pro-Israel groups who have been targeted for political reasons.

The Freedom Center and Front Page Magazine will not stop holding the IRS and those organizations, like UNRWA, that aid and abet terrorism against America and Israel accountable.

Daniel Greenfield

Source: https://www.frontpagemag.com/the-irs-helps-unrwa-fund-hamas/

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Impeachment probe dramatically pivots to questions of CIA, DOJ coverup in Hunter Biden case - Steven Richards and John Solomon

 

​ by Steven Richards and John Solomon

The lawsuit came the day after House Republicans wrapped up their first public impeachment hearing Wednesday, which Democrats pronounced was the end of the probe.

 

After a bombastic hearing with Hunter Biden's business partners, House impeachment investigators are dramatically pivoting to allegations of a possible coverup in the first son's criminal tax case as the inquiry transitions to a new phase.

On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee sued the Justice Department seeking to force two attorneys there to comply with subpoenas and testify about whether there was any political interference in Hunter Biden's tax prosecution.

A few hours later, that committee joined with the House Oversight Committee to release a letter to CIA Director William Burns that revealed impeachment investigators have a whistleblower who alleges the spy agency tried to interfere with a witness interview in the case.

"Recently, the Committees received information from a whistleblower alleging that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) intervened in the investigation of Hunter Biden to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigators from interviewing a witness," Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and Oversight Chairman James Comer wrote. "We therefore write to request relevant material from the CIA.

"According to the whistleblower, in August 2021, when IRS investigators were preparing to interview Patrick Kevin Morris, an associate of Hunter Biden, the CIA intervened to stop the interview," they continued. "Two DOJ officials were allegedly summoned to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia for a briefing regarding Mr. Morris. At that meeting, it was communicated that Mr. Morris could not be a witness during the investigation."

You can read the letter here.

ComerJodanCIAWhistleblower.pdf

Morris, a Hollywood attorney who befriended Hunter Biden, has acknowledged to Congress during an impeachment inquiry interview that he has provided millions of dollars in the form of loans to help the first son pay expenses and legal bills. 

The pair requested that Burns provide to them materials related to the investigation of Hunter Biden as well as documents and communications related to Morris and his relevance to the agency.

The double-barreled development signaled a shift in the probe. After releasing evidence they said shows  the Biden family and their partners made millions from China, Russia, Ukraine and other countries in a influence peddling scheme, lawmakers are looking at whether government actors tried to impede the discovery or prosecution of crimes, such as the gun and tax charges Hunter Biden now faces in federal court. 

Comer hinted at the shift in an interview with Just the News a few days ago.

"We also want to hold people accountable for wrongdoing, not just the Bidens, but people in the government, the deep state actors who have been part of the cover up," Comer said. "You know, you've got the Biden financial crimes, and you've got the cover up from the government because there are too many government agencies that were investigating the Biden's for too long."

In its new lawsuit, the House Judiciary Committee laid out in detail why it believes there is still an ongoing coverup in the the agency’s Hunter Biden tax crimes investigation as it faces continued obstruction into its probe of favorable treatment towards the first son alleged by the IRS whistleblowers.

According to the suit, DOJ lawyers Mark Daly and Jack Morgan have first-hand knowledge of the case. The complaint alleges that "DOJ has directed Daly and Morgan to defy the Committee’s Subpoenas" and that the DOJ contends that subpoenas compelling testimony about an "agency employee’s official duties, without agency counsel present, are unconstitutional and thus unenforceable."

The House Committee's suit points out that since the 1980's "more than 175 Executive Branch witnesses have appeared for depositions without agency counsel." The case has been assigned to Judge Ana C. Reyes, an Uruguayan-born American lawyer appointed to the bench by President Biden in 2023. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the DOJ has 60 days in which to respond to the suit.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee widely criticized the Republican impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden at its first public hearing on the matter Wednesday. One Democratic committee member said “Biden impeachment’s dead.” Yet, several unanswered questions remain about the evidence and testimony uncovered by the probe.

The 59-page lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday highlights another aspect of the investigation being pursued by the Judiciary Committee that has garnered less media coverage yet remains ongoing: allegations that Biden’s Justice Department improperly treated the first son favorably and thwarted efforts by IRS investigators to carry out their probe.

“The Department is committed to working with Congress in good faith. We took the extraordinary step of making six supervisory employees available to testify on appropriate topics last year. It is unfortunate that despite this extraordinary cooperation from senior DOJ officials, the Committee has decided, after waiting for months, to continue seeking to depose line prosecutors about sensitive information from ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions. We will continue to protect our line personnel and the integrity of their work. We will review the filings and respond in court," a Justice Department spokeswoman told Just the News on Thursday.

You can read the lawsuit below:

Case 1.24-cv-00815 Document 1.pdf

The allegations against the DOJ first came to light last year when two IRS whistleblowers, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, brought the claims to the House Ways and Means Committee along with evidence in the form of emails, memos, and witness interview notes backing them.

Both whistleblowers testified to a pattern of preferential treatment in the investigation into the first son, including Justice Department efforts to block search warrants and to limit the investigators’ pursuit of information related then-candidate Joe Biden, citing political sensitivities.

Shapley and Ziegler also testified to significant delays in their investigation imposed by agency officials and confusion sowed by the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s office about authorities to charge the alleged crimes they had uncovered.

Ultimately, U.S. Attorney David Weiss allowed the statute of limitations to expire on the 2014 and 2015 tax years during which Hunter Biden allegedly failed to pay federal taxes and made false statements regarding his income from Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company where he served as a board member. Hunter Biden was ultimately charged with three tax felonies and six misdemeanors in California for the 2016 to 2019 tax years. Biden's lawyer Abbe Lowell said at the time that his client was a victim of politics and if the president's son's "last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought." 

Multiple witnesses interviewed by the three House committees leading the impeachment probe have since confirmed key pieces of the Shapley’s and Ziegler’s accounts, including an unnamed FBI agent, the former head of the DOJ’s Tax Division, Stuart Goldberg, and U.S. Attorney David Weiss himself.

Hunter Biden’s legal team, for its part, has attempted discredit the IRS whistleblowers. Biden's lawyer Lowell attacked the agents in a letter to the House committee labeling them “disgruntled agents.” Eventually, Hunter Biden sued the IRS over the whistleblowers' disclosures, claiming they had unlawfully disclosed his private tax returns. That case is ongoing, and the IRS has filed a motion to dismiss the claims of invasion of privacy, to which Biden's lawyers are scheduled to respond by April 12, 2024.

In a recent court filing in Hunter Biden’s tax case in California, Lowell once again argued in a footnote the whistleblowers had violated the law by bringing their concerns to Congress and compared their conduct to an IRS employee sentenced to five years in prison for leaking President Donald Trump’s taxpayer information.

“Nevertheless, two IRS agents on the prosecution’s team investigating Mr. Biden blatantly and publicly did the same thing, on television no less, and yet they have not been prosecuted or even fired by the IRS,” Lowell wrote in the court document. Yet, the congressional Republicans argue the whistleblowers are protected under federal law, specifically 26 U.S.C. § 6103(f)(5) which outlines requirements for proper disclosure to Congress.

As the Judiciary Committee seeks answers to the concerns raised by the whistleblowers, it has faced efforts to obstruct the investigation by the Justice Department, according to its lawsuit. The most recent example is the Department’s decision to prevent two attorneys from the DOJ Tax Division from testifying to the committee. The committee believes these attorneys have first hand knowledge of the handling of the Hunter Biden probe.

When the Judiciary Committee first wrote to the agency requesting interviews with U.S. Attorney Weiss and nine other DOJ employees, the Department permitted only Weiss to appear.

“While DOJ’s letter did not directly explain why it ignored the Committee’s request to speak with the other DOJ employees, it did state that DOJ’s policy is to ensure ‘that appropriate supervisory personnel, rather than line attorneys and agents, answer Congressional questions’,” the lawsuit reads.

After the DOJ refused to make Daly and Morgan available, the committee subpoenaed the tax division attorneys in September 2023. After tentative dates were established and several weeks of cooperation between the committee and the Department of Justice took place, the DOJ ultimately directed Daly not to comply with the Congressional subpoena, according to the lawsuit. The DOJ would later give the same direction to Morgan.

In the lawsuit, the Judiciary Committee outlines why it believes Daly and Morgan have information critical to the scope of the impeachment inquiry, at the same time combating claims by House Democrats that the GOP has exhausted all avenues of investigation.

Specifically, Daly and Morgan were present for an October 2021 meeting where the DOJ prosecutors approved crafting a prosecution memorandum to recommend charges against Hunter Biden for tax crimes from 2014 to 2019. IRS whistleblower Shapley testified that Daly agreed with the report’s recommendation.

Yet, less than six months later in June 2022, Daly and Morgan gave a presentation arguing that Hunter Biden should don’t be charged for the 2014 and 2015 tax years. These were also the same years for which the DOJ permitted the statute of limitations expire.

The committee says it wants to get to the bottom of why these tax attorneys abruptly changed their conclusions.

“The Committee intends to ask Daly and Morgan about these decisions, including why they initially agreed with bringing charges for the 2014 and 2015 tax years, why they then reversed their opinion just a few months later, what additional (if any) information they received that changed their minds, and whether they were in any way pressured to change their views by other people inside or outside of DOJ, and if so, by whom,” the lawsuit reads.

Both Daly and Morgan also gave indications of special treatment for Hunter Biden, according to Shapley’s and Ziegler’s interviews.

“Morgan told one IRS whistleblower that the investigation was ‘not a typical case’ due to it involving Hunter Biden, raising the specter that Morgan gave Hunter Biden preferential treatment,” the lawsuit claims. This coincides with testimony from Stuart Goldberg—head of the DOJ tax division at the time—who told investigators Hunter Biden’s case was “sensitive” and “significant” and that those cases generally “have closer supervision that other, more run of the mill cases.”

The committee also wants to question Daly about his decision to tip off Hunter Biden’s defense counsel about a planned search of his storage unit, which may have compromised the investigative team’s efforts to obtain further evidence.

Daly also played a role in the key meetings where the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia ultimately decided not to bring charges against Biden his jurisdiction after Daly reassured one of the whistleblowers he was optimistic about moving forward, the lawsuit details.

“The Committee’s investigation raises serious questions about how DOJ conducted, and continues to conduct, its investigation of the President’s son. Daly and Morgan have firsthand knowledge of many of the potential improprieties that occurred during DOJ’s investigation of Hunter Biden because they engaged in and/or directly observed those alleged improprieties,” the committee concludes.

“They are therefore uniquely positioned to aid the Committee’s investigation, and the Committee must obtain their testimony,” it added.

 
Steven Richards and John Solomon

Source: https://justthenews.com/accountability/whistleblowers/favorable-treatment-obstruction-alleged-hunter-biden-case-shows

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'Israel is right to defend itself:' Lebanese doctor calls to make peace with Israel - Ohad Merlin

 

​ by Ohad Merlin

The Jerusalem Post reached out to two Lebanese anti-war activists who attempt to promote peace between the ancient people of the two sides of the border.

 

A UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicle drives in Adaisseh village, near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, August 6, 2021.

(photo credit: REUTERS/AZIZ TAHER)

The imminent war between Israel and Hezbollah creates ripple effects within Lebanese society and its inner discourse. The Jerusalem Post reached out to two Lebanese anti-war activists, Dr. Ghassan Bou Diab and A., who make efforts to promote peace between the ancient people from the two sides of the border, on and offline.

The interviews have been translated and edited for content:

My name is Dr. Ghassan Bou Diab, and I want to convey a message of peace from the Land of the Cedars to the Israeli people.

After 75 years of meaningless clashes between Lebanon and Israel, it is time to think about a different approach. Time to consider what the late brave Begin and Sadat said in Camp David under US patronage: ‘no more war, no more bloodshed, no more tears.’

Because why would I even need to fight Israel? Why wouldn’t I do business with Israel or enjoy the fact that I’m a neighbor of Israel? Why do we need to pay tribute to the IRGC and the terrorist Mullahs of Tehran?

How many Lebanese must die for Iran? And why must I be a tool at the hand of Ali Khamenei?

Why would Lebanese blood be shed for the project of the Neo Nazis of the Mullah regime? Why must we deal with a foreign agenda that takes all Lebanese as hostages?

Smoke and fire rise from a building following an Israeli airstrike on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, amid the ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and the IDF, in this screengrab taken from an undated handout video released on November 24, 2023. (credit: IDF/Handout via REUTERS)

This is not our cause, not national interest.

As a free Lebanese, I don’t want that. I want peace and extend my hand starkly to the other side of the border, hoping to be met by a like-minded hand.

We need a partner from the other side of the border to build peace for tomorrow, for the era following the eradication and defeat of terrorists.

Israel has the full right to defend its citizens and enjoy peaceful and safe borders. Nothing justifies the terror attack of October 7 nor the crazy, meaningless adventure that Hassan Nasrallah and his partner - the head of amal movement (Nabih Berri) are leading Lebanon towards.

If Lebanon were attacked by the same attack – what would be the answer of the Lebanese? I am not seeking to justify the unnecessary death of civilians, but mustn’t Israel have a right to defend itself from such evil?

We are at a conundrum.

Living as hostages of terrorist political Shi'ism

Having our beloved country bombed is saddening, but living as a hostage of terrorist political Shi’ism led by the so-called Islamic Republic, which in turn occupies Iran, is in and of itself a big challenge. We cannot coexist with political Shi’ism, which aligns only with what the Faqih, the ‘sage leader' in Tehran, wants. They say openly that Hezbollah is Iran. Yet Hezbollah is a terrorist organization taking Lebanon hostage.

Israel is smart enough to know that no peace can be signed with one Lebanese sect. It must be signed between nations and people. The collapse of the May 17, 1983 Is a historical example. But also The recent maritime agreement, which didn’t pass either through the Lebanese parliament nor through the Knesset, was a bad example. We need peace between states, not sects. Peace between two states under the patronage of the US, along with other Arab leaders.

Our founding fathers in Lebanon were not promoters of Political Shi’ism. They are Maronite and Druze, like Prince Fakhr Eddin II. The Druze-Maronite social contract established the big Lebanon State. The relations between Lebanon and Israel go back to even before there were the modern states of Lebanon and Israel, to the time of the Phoenicians and King Solomon, who brought Lebanese cedars to build his Temple, and to King Heram and others. This glorious past has nothing to do with the terrorist regime which holds our country hostage.

What prevents you from coming to Junieh or me from driving to Tel Aviv? Why do I need to fight with you? This doesn’t make any sense. What makes sense is permanent peace and diplomacy among the people. We are fighting a common enemy – the so-called ‘Islamic’ regime occupying Iran and its terrorist Proxies.

Israel doesn’t have to be on alert every 2-3 years just because Khamenei wants to cause trouble and reserve a seat at the table of Negotiation with the US administration. I don’t want my borders to be a cause for any threats. I want tourism projects in Naqoura between Israeli and Lebanese companies. I want my children to visit the sacred shrine of Jethro in Hattin. Israel is a diverse state. Why can’t I go visit the tomb of Christ or Al-Aqsa Mosque? Why should anyone need to build a whole ideology based on hatred and murder? Why should anyone be celebrating the murder of people who were partying? Only Fascism or Nazism would celebrate this.

I’m ready to work with whoever is ready to sustain a future built on love, economic relations and national interests, rather than hatred. I am a neighbor of Israel, I have national interests, and peace is my national interest.

You will surely find people who will call us Zionist spies or traitors. I don’t care. I’m doing this for the future of the Lebanese people and the Jewish people. I don’t want an ideology of hate. 75 years is too much. Endless war is too much.

It's time to give peace a chance. To think about unity and diversity, to declare that peace; just like war requires brave people and strong minds. We are not in the 1960s. This is 2024 for God’s sake. The whole concept of trying to create useless borders is a joke. Can they really ban me from talking to you?

Why? If we disagree, let's talk about it. There’s a secret word – dialogue- consisting of ‘dia’ – two and ‘logos’ – word or thought. And I don’t want to be banned from thinking.

Every single drop of blood and atom of soil is precious. As a Lebanese national, my national interest is to have the best relations with our neighbors. We don’t have time for war; we have time for peace, prosperity, and technology.

We’re good at marketing, and you’re good at producing. So why should I be missing out on these chances? The interest of my country is not only peace with Israel but a strategic partnership with Israel. I won’t call for an olive branch like Arafat did back then. The 21st century requires a different approach. What I am doing is extending a strong hand with peace, the only thing it holds is peace, to be met by like-minded people from the Israeli intelligentsia and public who believe that, if you are brave enough to fight the war – you should be brave enough to fight for peace. Of course, right after defeating terrorism on all sides.

The 1000-mile journey starts in one step, and somebody needs to start this process.

Let's light a small candle, instead of cursing darkness.

Dr. Ghassan Boudiab is the director of Demokrattia Center for research and strategic studies in DC, and a Professor of Science of Religions, specializing in faith-based extremism, from the Chouf region in Lebanon.

Ohad Merlin

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/dr-ghassan-boudiab-i-do-this-for-my-children-793133

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Biden use of Hamas death count challenged by prominent statistician, says numbers 'aren't accurate' - Benjamin Weinthal

 

​ by Benjamin Weinthal

President Biden used the Hamas run ministry of health numbers during his State of the Union address this month

 

 

JERUSALEM - During President Biden's State of the Union speech, he used the Gaza death count produced by the Hamas-run ministry of health, quoting some 30,000 deaths. Those numbers have been scrutinized by a renowned University of Pennsylvania statistician who has cast serious doubt on the figures.

Abraham Wyner revealed in an interview with Fox News Digital that the U.S.-designated terrorist movement, Hamas, issued fake casualty numbers in its war against Israel. Wyner is a tenured professor of statistics and data science at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and faculty co-director of the Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative.

His dramatic findings have ostensibly debunked many of the Hamas causality claims accepted at face value by President Biden’s administration, the U.N. and many major mainstream media organizations. 

Possibly furthering Wyner's calculation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently announced that 13,000 terrorists had been killed in Gaza since the IDF went in. Wyner disputes the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry's number that of the more than 30,000 Palestinians who have died since October 7, the majority are children and women. 

WHY MIDEAST NEIGHBORS WON'T OFFER REFUGE TO PALESTINIANS STUCK IN GAZA WAR ZONE

Hamas invaded southern Israel on October 7 and slaughtered 1,200 people, including over 30 Americans.

He said he "was able to show that these numbers aren't right" and, based on the number that Israel’s government is reporting, that the casualty rate "instead of, being 70% women and children, it's probably closer to 30% to 35% women and children" in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli soldiers on a tank overlook the Gaza Strip on Friday, January 19. (AP/Maya Alleruzzo)

Wyner revealed in an interview with Fox News Digital that the U.S.-designated terrorist movement, Hamas, issued fake casualty numbers in its war against Israel. 

The core of Wyner’s analysis revolves around statistical variability and correlation. He said "Hamas had claimed, and is continuing to claim, that approximately 70% of the casualties have been women and children. They are not reporting, or had at the time, and by mid-November, had not reported that Israel had killed any of its own fighters."

Wyner continued, "But they weren't differentiating between fighters and civilians . . . they were reporting that there were just not very many men dying. Subsequently, by February, they reported that about 25% of the casualties were their own fighters, which left a strange situation . . . there just aren't enough civilian men dying."

He added, "They're just they're missing. And what we call the missing male problem, which suggests that the numbers as being represented aren't accurate." 

GAZA CITY, GAZA - OCTOBER 9: Civilians take part in search-and-rescue works after Israeli airstrikes destroy buildings in Gaza City, Gaza, on October 9, 2023. (Photo by Belal Khaled/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

ISRAEL'S US AMBASSADOR SLAMS SCHUMER'S 'UNHELPFUL' ANTI-NETANYAHU SPEECH: 'ISRAEL IS A SOVEREIGN DEMOCRACY' 

According to Wyner, "And so what that means is the number of people dying every day is almost the same. It isn't changing very much, and that just didn't make any sense to me. In war, there should be variability. Variability coming from war plans, from lulls, from intense increases in activity. And none of that was observable in the data. There was what we call too little dispersion."

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, during a recent press briefing, was asked why Biden had quoted the Hamas numbers in an interview. ,

Jean-Pierre said, "What we — we have said — we’ve been really clear: There are publicly available data that showed, sadly, how many — how many deaths that we have seen in Gaza. And the President has been very clear.  There’s too much. It’s tragic. It’s tragic what we’re seeing. And the President’s going to keep — continue to speak to that."

When approached by Fox News Digital about Wyner’s report, which was first published in March by the online magazine Tablet, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said "Far too many civilians have been killed in this conflict. Every civilian death in conflict is a tragedy. Deaths are not mere statistics; they’re lost futures, dreams and potential."

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol on March 7, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

The State Department did not refute Wyner’s findings. In late October, President Biden said he has "no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using" for the death toll in Gaza.

However, both Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin have since January adopted the Hamas numbers as truth, only to have to walk back their statistics as coming from the jihadi terrorist entity Hamas.

Wyner does not dispute the State Department contention about the tragedy of civilian deaths, noting, "The ratio of casualties, civilian casualties to military casualties is in the realm of 1 to 1. And historically, that's actually an excellent sign of intense care being placed to just target enemies and keep the civilian population as safe as possible, recognizing that war is horrible and war does produce collateral damage, as in every loss of life is tragic, but war is tragic, and war causes death."

But he stresses that "The stakes are extremely high. Hamas's only path to victory, whatever it may be, is through international pressure, namely through the United States. And the only way they can get there is to convince the United States that the civilian casualties are not coming with a commensurate military gain. And that would potentially cause Israel to be forced into a cease-fire, whether that's permanent or temporary. That is, leaves Hamas in place."

ISRAEL AMBASSADOR WARNS UN ‘CONTAMINATED’ BY ANTISEMITISM, SAYS PEACE WITH SAUDIS CAN ‘TRANSFORM’ REGION

Ambulances carrying victims of Israeli strikes crowd the entrance to the emergency ward of the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on October 15, 2023. Israel embarked on a withering air campaign against Hamas terrorists in Gaza after they carried out a brutal attack on Israel on October 7 that left more than 1,400 people dead in Israel. ( (Photo by Dawood NEMER / AFP) (Photo by DAWOOD NEMER/AFP via Getty Images))

Wyner said about the lack of correlation in Hamas’ data, "The basic idea is that on days where there isn't very much bombing, you should see just a few children and women dying. And there's more. You should see more women and children dying on days where there's lots of civilian casualties as opposed to fighters. You should see a few women and children, and on days where there's lots of civilians dying, you should see lots of women and children. But that relationship wasn't there. It was what we call uncorrelated." 

A spokeswoman from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA) told Fox News Digital, "The United Nations relies on the Health Ministry in Gaza as a source for casualties figures in that area, as it is nearly impossible at the moment to provide any UN verification on a day-to-day basis. Any of their data used in our products is clearly sourced."

 The U.N. does not classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. 

A smoke rises over buildings in Gaza City on October 9, 2023, during an Israeli air strike. (Photo by Sameh Rahmi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Critics have lamented that many legacy news organizations and politicians have failed to differentiate between civilians and Hamas terrorists who were killed during the war—as well as highlight that a terrorist organization, with a reported history of fabricating death tolls, supplies the numbers.

Wyner said that the left-of-center Israeli daily Haaretz reported in 2011—two years after the 2009 Israeli operation in Gaza against Hamas terrorists—that "Hamas admitted that the numbers that it had been telling the public about the size of their losses, of their fighter losses, which they had reported to be 49, was actually over 700, which was exactly what Israel had said it was in the very beginning."

He added, "So Israel has a good record of keeping track of the number of Hamas fighters that it kills, and Hamas doesn't have a good record. Yet, the media was largely ignoring Israel's claims or, when reporting them at all, noticing that they are unverifiable. Yet, the data right in front of you, coming from Hamas, showed pretty clear evidence that there is significant problems with the numbers. They don't match reality." 

Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/biden-use-of-hamas-death-count-challenged-by-prominent-statistician-says-numbers-arent-accurate

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Red Cross denies NGO's claim it's involved in terror 'pay-for-slay' policy - Ohad Merlin

 

​ by Ohad Merlin

New Palestinian Media Watch expose quoted PLO Prisoner Affairs Authority chief, who described the Red Cross as “an essential partner in the process that enables payment to imprisoned Palestinians."

 

Red Cross vehicle carrying hostages abducted by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel, arrives at Rafah border, amid a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in southern Gaza Strip, November 28, 2023.

(photo credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)

A document issued by the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC) is essential for terrorists serving time in Israeli prisons in order to receive salaries from the Palestinian Authority (PA) under the policy known as ‘Pay for Slay,’ an expose conducted by watchdog NGO Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reveals, quoting Palestinian officials.

The ICRC claimed in response that such documents are provided around the world as part of their humanitarian activity and denied any involvement in the PA’s stipends (see full response below).

This issue has been stipulated in PA regulations for many years despite an Israeli law that prohibits “providing incentives for terrorist activity.” Stipends paid by the Palestinian Authority to Palestinian terrorists charged with committing terror attacks against Israelis have been subject to scrutiny for the past several years.

However, PMW has now revealed that one of the actors playing a key role in this process is the Red Cross, which produces the documentation necessary for terrorists to receive their salaries.

Does the Red Cross facilitate payments to prisoners?

The watchdog cites multiple sources stating that the Red Cross is the one carrying out the procedures that facilitate these payments to the terrorist prisoners. One instance shows a senior PA official responsible for the pay-for-slay payments saying on official PA television that, as a result of Israeli obstruction of visits to Palestinian terrorists by the Red Cross, the latter cannot provide them with documents showing they are still in prison, which would be necessary, according to the PA’s law and regulations, for them to receive the payments.

Israelis protest against the Red Cross at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. December 14, 2023. (credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90)

Another statement exposed by PMW shows Qadura Fares, head of the PLO Prisoner Affairs Authority, telling Palestinian television roughly two months ago that the International Committee of the Red Cross is “an essential partner in the process that enables the payment of rewards to the imprisoned Palestinians.”

According to PMW, by doing so, the Red Cross plays a central role in satisfying the “financial incentive for terrorist activity,” as defined by Israeli law, and can thus be held liable from the legal point of view.

PMW’s exposé revealed that to get their monthly salaries after their arrest and until sentencing, the prisoners’ relatives are required to present an original document from the Red Cross every three months attesting to their arrest and ongoing incarceration. PMW noted that the only reason the Red Cross visited these prisoners so frequently was to enable them to receive their terror salaries.

An additional regulation requires the presentation of another important document by the Red Cross, which is a power of attorney. Through this document, the prisoners can appoint a person to open a bank account or receive the payments on their behalf.

Experts: the Red Cross can and should be held accountable

Itamar Marcus, chair of PMW, criticized the Israeli government for allowing the Red Cross to openly facilitate terror payments that are illegal according to Israeli law. “This is especially jarring these days, when the Red Cross is dragging its feet on the issue of the Israeli hostages in Gaza,” he said.

“The Israeli government has been committing a gross oversight by enacting laws that curtail terror salaries on the one hand but permit the Red Cross to facilitate those illegal salaries on the other openly," he said.

“The Israeli government must notify the Red Cross that any future visits to prisoners are contingent on the Red Cross’s commitment not to supply any forms to the PA that will enable terrorists to receive the terror salaries,” added Marcus.

“Israel must further prohibit anyone, including imprisoned terrorists’ lawyers, from processing any forms on behalf of the terrorists that allow them to receive these illegal terror payments, and if necessary, enact legislation to criminalize it.”

As for the legal implications of these findings, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an Israeli attorney, human rights activist, and president of Shurat HaDin-Israeli Law Center, explained that “the Supreme Court of Israel recently ruled that the payments to the terrorist prisoners impose tortious liability on the Palestinian Authority and that they are sufficient to require the PA to pay compensation equal to the direct damages caused to the victims of terrorism. In this case, it turns out that the Red Cross is a vital party in executing these payments, since in the absence of the mentioned quarterly documents issued on its behalf, the terrorists would not have been able to receive the said payments. This has the effect of imposing legal responsibility on the Red Cross, meaning that victims of terrorism can sue the Red Cross for terror attacks and require them to pay compensation.

Are there any known initiatives to bring the Red Cross to justice over this issue?

“At the moment, I’m not aware of any initiatives for a lawsuit against the Red Cross based on these findings, although we have filed a lawsuit against the organization for not fulfilling their duty towards the Israeli hostages,” Darshan-Leitner said.

“Throughout history, the Red Cross worked against Jews and Israelis,” she added. “This was the case during the Holocaust, when they refused to visit the Jews in extermination camps and claimed that it was an ‘internal German problem.’ This was the case with Gilad Shalit, who for five years did not get to see a single representative of the organization, and this is the case with the hostages today. Since October 7th, the Red Cross has refused to fulfill its duty according to international law and pay visits, list and specify the methods of torture they are exposed to, and hand them medicines that their lives depend on.

“Now it turns out that the Red Cross is factually complicit in inciting terrorism and providing a monetary reward for terrorism. The representatives of the Red Cross know what the forms they hand to the terrorists every three months are intended for, and therefore, they are fully complicit in the murder of Jews.”

The ICRC stated in an official response:

“The ICRC provides documents, called Attestations of Detention (AoD), which certify that an individual has been detained. This is a humanitarian activity undertaken by the ICRC in many places worldwide in line with the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. Such a document in Israel is issued based on notification from the detaining authority. The ICRC is not involved in any stipend payment program involving the Palestinian Authority,” it stated.

Ohad Merlin

Source: https://www.jpost.com/international/article-792583

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Shifa's raid was symbolic of a new security protocol for the IDF - Yaakov Katz

 

​ by Yaakov Katz

Shifa symbolizes how Israel’s operation in northern Gaza has already created new conditions and provided the military with the ability to enter a place that once was deemed too dangerous to access.

 

IDF CHIEF of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi leads a visit by senior officers to Shifa Hospital this week.

(photo credit: IDF/Reuters)

Senator Chuck Schumer must have decided last week that he wants to see Benjamin Netanyahu remain Israel’s prime minister for years to come. Otherwise, it is hard to understand what the senior senator from New York thought he would achieve when calling for new leadership in Israel while drawing an equivalence between the country’s democratically-elected government, and the terrorist organization in Gaza that the IDF has been fighting for the last five months.

This has nothing to do with what someone’s opinion might be about the prime minister. There is legitimate criticism of Netanyahu and strong feelings that he should have stepped down years ago. There is no doubt that Netanyahu needs to be held personally responsible for the failures that led to this war, and it is even possible that had he done so, the October 7 massacre could have been avoided. He was the prime minister for the last 15 years (except for one) and he set the policy that allowed Hamas to grow in strength.

On the other hand, he is the democratically elected prime minister of this country and the way for him to be replaced is for the Israeli people to do so at the ballot. It is not the place of a US senator – no matter how senior and how pro-Israel he might be – to lobby for elections to replace him. It is also important to keep in mind that while polls show that a new election would replace Netanyahu, those same polls show that a majority of Israelis support his government’s war policies.

One poll from this week saw 82% of Israelis support Netanyahu’s call for an offensive against Hamas in the southern Gaza town of Rafah despite US opposition.

This is a case in which two things can be true – Israelis support the policies of the government at the same time that Israelis want new leadership. But again, this is something for the Israeli people to decide. It is not the place of a foreign government to tell us how we should vote and who should run our country.

Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes as it seen from Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, December 1, 2023 (credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)

THIS POLITICAL tension comes at a time when Israel’s war against Hamas appears to be stuck. While Israel has been warning for weeks of an imminent operation in Rafah – which is needed to further degrade Hamas capabilities and destroy smuggling tunnels from Egypt – the operation is mostly being used right now as a bargaining chip to pressure Hamas to finalize a deal that brings some of the hostages home.

It is mainly for this reason that Israel has yet to begin even the initial step of starting to move the displaced Gazans who are currently in the area of Rafah so they will not be caught in the crossfire if and when there is an IDF offensive in the southern Gaza town. That is the first step that will need to be taken before the first tank enters Rafah.

Israel is waiting for a deal 

In the meantime, while Israel waits to see if there will be a deal, on the ground the operation seems to be on hold. There is still some fighting in the central Gaza Strip as well as sporadic clashes in northern Gaza where Hamas is trying to redeploy, but when it comes to expansion of the offensive, the IDF is waiting.

This same thinking applies to the operation that took place this week at Shifa Hospital where the IDF went in for what can best be described as “mowing the terror lawn” in Gaza.

As of Thursday, the operation has been considered a success – IDF elite troops fighting alongside forces from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), surrounded the hospital, prevented terrorists from leaving, captured several hundred, and killed almost 100 more. It was the second operation that saw IDF soldiers enter Shifa, a place that before October 7 was described as a terrorist fortress that Israel would never be able to enter.

The operation this week needs to be looked at in the context of what Israel wants the day after the Gaza war to be like. It is an example of the type of operations Israel will need to continue carrying out in Gaza once the high-intensity stage of the war is completed. In other words, if a year from now, Israel again sees terrorists hiding inside Shifa, it will need to go in and round them up.

That is essentially what victory in this war will look like. It will not be a win by knockout as some people would like to see but it will be a process, one that takes time. Basically, this is not about the elimination of Hamas but about creating a new security reality in the Gaza Strip in which Israel can enter when it needs and wants and eliminates threats as they arise.

That is a worthy goal of this war. It would be similar to the result that came from Operation Defensive Shield that was launched in the West Bank 22 years ago this month and saw the IDF restore the operational freedom it had lost a few years earlier under the Oslo Accords. Just like the IDF enters the West Bank cities of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nablus to surround a home and arrest a terrorist, it needs to be able to do this in Khan Yunis two years from now, five years from now, and 10 years as well.

This is what Shifa symbolizes; it shows how Israel’s operation in northern Gaza has already created new conditions and provided the military with the ability to enter a place that once was deemed inaccessible and too dangerous.

It is a path forward with a clear goal. The question is whether between Washington, Jerusalem, and Rafah getting there will even be possible.

Yaakov Katz is a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) and a former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-793162

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EPA’s final EV rule may set the stage for a ‘bloodbath’ for American auto workers - Kevin Killough

 

​ by Kevin Killough

Since electric vehicles require far fewer parts to assemble and auto makers are losing money on the EVs they sell, the EPA standards could result in a “bloodbath” for the American auto worker.

 

At a rally in Ohio Saturday, former former President Donald Trump discussed trade policies he’d enact if elected and how they’d benefit American autoworkers. He also warned that a failure to elect him would be a “bloodbath” for the industry, which the legacy media widely reported out of context.

The Environmental Protection Agency released its final tailpipe emissions standards Wednesday, and while the EPA eased off the proposed standards for their initial rollout, they still end up in the same place as the proposed rule.

Automakers will still need to retool a lot of their lines for electric vehicles to meet the standards, and since electric vehicles require far fewer parts to assemble, the standards could result in a “bloodbath” for the American auto worker.

Slight adjustment

Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., called the final rule a “slight adjustment” over the proposed rule, and said it will cost American jobs. “The finalization of this rule is devastating news for Michigan, the auto industry, and American families. After its initial proposal, less than a year ago, thousands in the auto industry have spoken in opposition to this rule because it is unattainable, unaffordable and unrealistic,” Walberg said in a statement.

The rule doesn’t mandate anyone buy an EV, but it does place limits on the total emissions from vehicles that automakers produce. The portion of their lines that need to be electric to meet the standards depends on the total emissions of their non-electric lines. If much of the fleet are low-emission hybrid vehicles, which combine aspects of gas-powered and electric motors, then the manufacturer will need fewer electric vehicles to meet the EPA’s demands.

If an automaker, such as Ford, for example, produces many gas-powered pickup trucks that American consumers love, it will have to produce a lot of EVs to satisfy the EPA, whether consumers buy them or not.

The EPA anticipates that for model years 2030 to 2032, automakers will have 30% to 56% of their new light-duty vehicle sales electric, which are light trucks and passenger cars. For medium-duty vehicles, the EPA estimates automakers will make 20% to 32% of their new vehicle sales electric.

Well before the EPA released its proposed tailpipe standards in April 2023, the UAW was eying the potential impacts of what was then a shift in consumer interests. A 2020 UAW report recognized the vehicles would result in less labor and displaced workers.

Not buying it

Consumer interest stalled over the past year, and unless it picks up the pace, the rate of voluntary, consumer-driven EV adoption will not keep pace with the Biden administration’s demands. The New York Times reports that EVs made up 7.6% of new car sales in 2023, up from 5.9% in 2020.

Reason Magazine's Jon Lancaster points out that, even with that increase, it won’t meet the Biden administration’s targets. S&P Global estimates that by 2030, only 25% of vehicles sold will be an EV.

The Biden administration’s mandates, however, place requirements on manufacturers, regardless of consumer interest. More than 4,000 dealerships in November organized a campaign to communicate to President Joe Biden that their lots were filling up with electric cars they couldn't sell. That list has by some accounts, swollen to 5,000 dealerships.

While the final rules go easier on manufacturers for the next eight years, the dealerships’ campaign website states they still require automakers to produce more cars than people are willing to buy.

“The regulations still would require an increase in sales of electric vehicles that is far beyond the consumer interest we are experiencing at our dealerships. Despite generous government, manufacturer and dealer incentives, our customers continue to bypass EVs over concerns about affordability, charging infrastructure, performance in cold weather, and resale value,” the website states.

"Sadly the regulation stubbornly hangs on to an EV mandate that is clearly disconnected from the realities of the marketplace and the voice of the customer," the auto dealers say.

Labor studies

Research has continued looking at the impacts of the mandates on automakers and their employees.

In November, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) examined how the growth of electric vehicles would factor into the United Auto Workers (UAW) negotiations, after the union went on strike against Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis the previous month.

Quoting Ford CEO Jim Farley, the CRS said that it requires 40% less labor to make an electric car.

In February 2019, the CRS did a deep dive into how electrification of transportation would disrupt the automotive supply chain. Whereas electric vehicles contain four main components, gas-powered cars contain ten.

“Workers who today manufacture parts for gasoline or diesel engines could be retrained to make parts for electric vehicle motors and the lithium-ion batteries that power them, although there may be significantly fewer such jobs than exist in automotive supply chains today,” the study concluded.

Other studies have predicted similar outcomes for the industry. Based on the original proposed EPA tailpipe standards, which estimated 66% of new car sales would be electric by 2032, the American First Policy Institute estimated in July 2023 that the EPA would eliminate 117,000 auto manufacturing jobs.

Company losses

While the nature of EV manufacturing will place downward pressure on auto workers jobs, the mandates could also impact the profitability of the companies. On Wednesday, the Boston Consulting Group released a report that found that across 12 automotive manufacturers, the average loss on each EV sold is $6,000.

“At some point, it will become untenable for [car makers] to lose money on every vehicle they sell,” the report notes.

Energy expert Robert Bryce calculated that Ford lost $64,731 on each EV it sold in 2023, based on the company’s earnings report.

Should these losses continue and expand to a larger portion of the manufacturers’ business as they expand their EV lines to meet EPA requirements, it could eventually impact their labor force.

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., in a letter to the editor in The Wall Street Journal, said that EVs are vulnerable to cheap foreign imports, and he’s asking Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to implement tariffs to protect the American auto industry.

“It’s comforting to suppose that tax credits will preserve our auto industry, but reality tells a different story. Auto workers’ jobs and our nation’s security depend on policy makers confronting hard truths,” Banks wrote.

Despite these risks to the nation’s automotive workforce, the UAW expressed support for the EPA’s final rule. “By taking seriously the concerns of workers and communities, the EPA has created a more feasible emissions rule that protects workers building ICE vehicles,” the UAW said in a statement released by the EPA.

The union also said it rejects the belief that tackling what the union calls a “climate crisis” will result in a loss of union jobs.

It’s unlikely that automakers will be able to maintain profitability unless consumers begin to show enthusiasm for EVs, and EPA mandates can’t make that happen. If car buyers choose to leave the EVs rusting on the sales lots, it may result in a “bloodbath” for the entire industry.

Kevin Killough

Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/epas-final-ev-rule-may-set-stage-bloodbath-american-auto-worker

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Biden Administration's Jitterbug with Iran's Regime - Majid Rafizadeh

 

​ by Majid Rafizadeh

When Crime Does Pay - Spectacularly

 

• The recent decision to shower Iran, the "leading state sponsor of global terrorism," with yet another $10 billion in sanctions waivers, "freeing up $10 billion elsewhere to spend on terrorism, missiles, nuclear weapons and the repression of Iranian women," defies logic and morality.

• Despite galactic evidence of Iran's atrocities — such as, since October 2023, more than 165 attacks by its proxies on American assets, which include the murder of three US service members; its support for terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis; its brutal crackdown on dissent at home, and its massively destabilizing actions across the Middle East — the Biden administration continues to court Iran and further enrich its regime, which thrives on chaos and bloodshed, especially against the country throwing the money at them.

• "The FBI believes Iran is capable of a variety of attack options against US targets, to include cyber operations intended to sabotage public and private infrastructure .... [I]t's clear the Iranians are determined to carry out attacks in the United States...." — Robert Wells, assistant director of the Counterterrorism Division at the FBI, March 20, 2024.

• "The mullahs give up nothing but get a windfall nonetheless... For [Senate Majority leader Chuck] Schumer, apparently, regime change in Israel is the national-security priority — not stopping billions of dollars to the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism." — Former National Security Council official Richard Goldberg, New York Post, March 14, 2024.

• Former US Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe's assertion that the Biden administration's actions has already enriched Iran by "closer to $60 billion" is nothing short of chilling. This staggering sum undoubtedly enabled Iran to further enrich its uranium to near weapons-grade level; to help Hamas attack Israel, and to torment its own people.

• It is high time for the Biden administration to send a clear and unequivocal message to Iran, China, Russia and North Korea that the days of impunity are over.

The recent decision to shower Iran, the "leading state sponsor of global terrorism," with yet another $10 billion in sanctions waivers, "freeing up $10 billion elsewhere to spend on terrorism, missiles, nuclear weapons and the repression of Iranian women," defies logic and morality. (Image source: iStock/Getty Images)

In the intricate and often perilous world of international relations, every decision carries weight, consequences, and the potential to shape the course of events. At the heart of this delicate dance lies the Biden administration's policy towards Iran — a policy that has been veering dangerously off-course, betraying not only the principles of national security but also the essence of American values.

The recent decision to shower Iran, the "leading state sponsor of global terrorism," with yet another $10 billion in sanctions waivers, "freeing up $10 billion elsewhere to spend on terrorism, missiles, nuclear weapons and the repression of Iranian women," defies logic and morality.

Despite galactic evidence of Iran's atrocities — such as, since October 2023, more than 165 attacks by its proxies on American assets, which include the murder of three US service members; its support for terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis; its brutal crackdown on dissent at home, and its massively destabilizing actions across the Middle East — the Biden administration continues to court Iran and further enrich its regime, which thrives on chaos and bloodshed, especially against the country throwing the money at them.

According to testimony this week before the US House Committee on Homeland Security, chaired by Rep. Mark E Green (R-TN), Robert Wells, assistant director of the Counterterrorism Division at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), stated:

"The FBI believes Iran is capable of a variety of attack options against US targets, to include cyber operations intended to sabotage public and private infrastructure .... [I]t's clear the Iranians are determined to carry out attacks in the United States...."

Former National Security Council official Richard Goldberg wrote in the New York Post last week:

"The mullahs give up nothing but get a windfall nonetheless... For [Senate Majority leader Chuck] Schumer, apparently, regime change in Israel is the national-security priority — not stopping billions of dollars to the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism."

One cannot help questioning the purpose of sanctions if they are repeatedly waived or ignored. Sanctions are intended to exert pressure, to hold rogue regimes accountable for their actions, and to deter future aggression. Yet, in the case of Iran, these punitive measures seem to have become little more than symbolic gestures, easily brushed aside by a regime that remains steadfast in its pursuit of power and influence, particularly when it must look as if crime does pay -- spectacularly.

Consider, for instance, the recent decision to again grant Iraq a sanctions waiver, allowing it to purchase energy from Iran. This move not only provides a lifeline to the Iranian economy but also undermines efforts to isolate and contain a regime that poses a clear and present danger to regional stability. By turning a blind eye to Iran's malevolent activities, the Biden administration is effectively legitimizing and enabling a regime that thrives on terror and oppression.

Moreover, the staggering scale of the sanctions relief being provided to Iran is cause for alarm. As Goldberg wrote in August 2023:

"At least $16 billion has now been made available to Iran without any congressional input—and more might be on the way. Another $6.7 billion is reportedly moving to Iran via the International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Rights... and reportedly ... another $3 billion of regime assets frozen in Tokyo. India and China....".

The release of billions of dollars in frozen assets, coupled with the relaxation of restrictions on Iranian oil exports, amounts to a windfall for a regime that has shown no qualms about using its newfound wealth to fund terrorism, suppress dissent, and advance its own hegemonic ambitions.

Former US Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe's assertion that the Biden administration's actions has already enriched Iran by "closer to $60 billion" is nothing short of chilling. This staggering sum undoubtedly enabled Iran to further enrich its uranium to near weapons-grade level; to help Hamas attack Israel, and to torment its own people. The Biden administration's support for terrorism, war and disruption – whether for the Taliban in Afghanistan; Putin's "minor incursion" into Ukraine; China's murder of more than 70,000 Americans a year with fentanyl and other opiates; for the Palestinian Authority, which openly pays its people to murder Jews; and for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and terror proxies such as Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah, in the Middle East and Latin America -- represents not only a betrayal of America's values but, as we have been seeing since October 2023, a clear and present danger to global security.

By providing billions of dollars in sanctions relief, the Biden administration is effectively financing Iran's nuclear program, allowing it to put the finishing touches on nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles to carry them, as well as for its proxy wars and terrorist activities that have done nothing but fuel conflict and instability. The recent surge in violence by Iran-backed groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis serves as a reminder of the deadly consequences of appeasing and financing states that sponsor terrorism.

It is all too clear that the Biden administration's approach to Iran is not only misguided but dangerous. By neglecting long-term security considerations and catering to a regime that clearly jeopardizes global stability, the Biden administration is not only endangering American lives but also strengthening a regime that thrives on chaos and bloodshed.

Worse, by appeasing Iran and essentially funding its malign activities, the United States has also been alienating its allies while emboldening its enemies and undermining its own credibility on the world stage.

The time has come for the Biden administration to reassess its Iran policy, and to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its actions. This means enforcing sanctions rigorously, exacting a serious price on Iran for its attacks -- especially the 165-plus recent attacks on US assets -- on its dash for nuclear capability; its support for terrorism, and to show the Iranian regime and others adversaries waiting in the wings that the US can and will stand firm in the face of attempts to sow discord.

It is high time for the Biden administration to send a clear and unequivocal message to Iran, China, Russia and North Korea that the days of impunity are over.

• Follow Majid Rafizadeh on X (formerly Twitter)

 
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20515/biden-administration-jitterbug-iran

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