President Joe Biden's decision to reinstate aid programs for Palestinians that the Trump administration had frozen has come under scrutiny. And it is suspected the Biden Administration has been indirectly funding terrorism.

Questions surround how Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization controlling the Gaza Strip, obtained the resources to launch an attack on Israel. 

The Biden administration has committed to providing hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Palestinians. This policy reversed the previous administration's stance, which had severely reduced aid due to concerns about Hamas's influence.

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The resumption of U.S. aid to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank has raised concerns about whether it inadvertently supports organizations associated with terrorism. This concern escalated when Hamas fighters initiated a surprise incursion into Israel, resulting in the tragic death of over 1,200 Israelis, primarily civilians.

Biden Administration Funding Terrorism?

Prior to the attack, a watchdog from the Biden administration issued a warning about the lack of transparency surrounding the aid influx, initiated when President Biden took office in 2021. 

The inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) expressed concerns that officials hadn't adequately assessed the risks associated with providing aid in Gaza and the West Bank, including the possibility of funding groups with ties to terrorism.

“We assess there is a high-risk Hamas could potentially derive indirect, unintentional benefit from U.S. assistance to Gaza,” the Inspector-General report claimed.

Various international aid organizations also highlighted that local groups in Palestinian areas were at risk of being designated as terrorist organizations by the Israeli government. As a result, other foreign aid providers decided not to engage with these groups in their projects, as reported by the inspector general's report.

The USAID responded by claiming that these restrictions would limit the number of potential partners available for their mission.

 Despite these challenges, it appears that the Biden administration provided funds to several groups with known links to terrorism in Gaza and the West Bank, both territories partially or entirely under Palestinian control. Hamas governs Gaza, while the Palestinian Authority governs parts of the West Bank.

Money Funnel

One example is the State Department's allocation of $18,315 to the Gaza-based group Natuf for Environment and Community Development, which is backed by a Palestinian bank sanctioned by the U.S. and criticized by Israel for its ties to Hamas. The State Department grant aimed to support female entrepreneurs in Gaza.

Another instance involved the State Department granting the Natuf group $2,900 for an "art and graffiti therapy" project, a $19,996 grant for a program promoting "inclusive economic and educational partnerships for youth," and a $19,806 grant for raising environmental awareness in the community.

The Biden administration also granted $41,213 to a group called Fares Al-Arab, which has been designated as a terrorist group. This funding was intended for a journalism program. Fares Al-Arab has aligned itself with Hamas and expressed staunchly anti-Israel views.

Controversial UNRWA may be Funding Terrorism

Furthermore, President Biden pledged significant new funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), despite criticism for its numerous connections to Hamas. While the previous administration had cut off taxpayer funding to UNRWA in 2018, President Biden reinstated it, committing over $200 million to the organization in the last year.

Critics have accused UNRWA of promoting anti-Israel sentiments, enabling Hamas to utilize its resources, and collaborating with groups in Palestinian territories associated with terrorism. UNRWA has worked closely with the United Kingdom-based charity, the Palestinian Relief and Development Fund (Interpal), on projects in Gaza. 

In 2003, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Interpal for its links to Hamas, and the group remains sanctioned in the United States.

UNRWA faced criticism in 2017 when the chairman of its Palestinian workers' union was allegedly elected to a Hamas leadership position. This wasn't the first time UNRWA was accused of employing individuals associated with Hamas, leading to the suspension of the union chairman.

Republicans React

In the same year, Hamas-built tunnels, used for the clandestine transportation of fighters and weapons, were discovered under UNRWA schools, prompting calls for more stringent oversight of the schools funded by the relief agency. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even called for the dissolution of the agency.

In response to these concerns, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Sen. James Risch (R-ID) introduced legislation earlier this year aimed at cutting U.S. funding to UNRWA due to its "long history of employing those affiliated with Hamas" and its alleged promotion of antisemitism. Their bill requires, among other things, that the relief agency severs ties with groups suspected by the U.S. of having financial links to terrorism.

Despite these growing concerns, the Biden administration has shown no signs of reducing aid to UNRWA or Palestinians in Gaza, even though internal documents from 2021 revealed that officials discussed the need for a sanctions waiver to deliver most of the funding to Palestinians to avoid violating anti-terrorism laws. 

Without the waiver it is alleged that US aid to these entities is currently violating the anti-terrorism laws.