A new report by the Middle East Forum reveals that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided millions of dollars in funding to extremist groups with ties to designated terrorist organizations. The report raises serious concerns about USAID's vetting practices and its potential role in supporting terrorist activities.
The United States Agency for International Development ( USAID ) has been accused of providing millions of dollars in funding to extremist groups linked to designated terrorist organizations and their allies. A report published by the Middle East Forum , a U.S. think tank, reveals that at least $122 million of approved grants went to groups aligned with designated terrorists and their supporters.
The report, released on February 4th, highlights a concerning pattern of USAID and State Department spending, with billions more of federal dollars channeled to American aid charities that have demonstrably failed to adequately vet their terror-linked local partners.The Middle East Forum's investigation focuses specifically on funds from USAID and the State Department that ended up in the hands of radical groups and organizations with ties to terrorism. A particularly alarming finding is the revelation that USAID provided over $900,000 to Bayader Association for Environment and Development, a Gaza-based charity described by the report as a 'terror charity.' Funding began in 2016 and continued until just days before Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Bayader, according to the report, operates in close cooperation with the Hamas regime, citing its 2021 annual report, which notes 'coordination' and 'meetings' with various Hamas ministries.The report further exposes how USAID channeled funds through other NGOs, such as Catholic Relief Services and medical groups, but also coordinated directly with Bayader. USAID officials have publicly praised Bayader's work on social media and even visited its offices, where a senior USAID official, Jonathan Kamin, received an award from the terror-linked charity. The report also uncovered a $12.5 million grant approved by USAID in 2024 to the American Near East Refugee Agency, which is also a 'long-standing partner' of Bayader. The American Near East Refugee Agency, established in 1968 to assist refugees following the Arab-Israeli War, has been found to have employees who repeatedly and publicly post 'violent ideas,' according to the report. These comments include calls for God to 'erase the Jews,' expressions of support for 'brave prisoners' in Israeli jails during the Hamas-Israel war, and celebratory descriptions of October 7, 2023, as a 'beautiful morning.' Sam Westrop, the director of the Middle East Forum's counter-extremism project, Islamist Watch, highlighted these disturbing findings on social media, citing examples like the Unlimited Friends Association, a Gaza terror charity that operates with help from Hamas, whose head promises to 'cleanse' their land of 'impure Jews.' The report also reveals that USAID gave millions to Islamic Relief, whose Gaza branch openly works with senior terrorist officials, including Hamas politburo member Ghazi Hamad, who stated that Hamas would repeat the October 7 attacks 'time and again until Israel is annihilated.' Adding to the alarming revelations, the report uncovered $125,000 in USAID funds directed to the Islamic Relief Agency (ISRA) in 2015, despite the U.S. Treasury designating the group a global terrorist organization in 2004 due to its ties to Osama bin Laden. The report further states that USAID 'undoubtedly knew of ISRA's terrorism activities,' citing a 2010 case where the executive director of ISRA's U.S. branch and a board member pleaded guilty to money-laundering, theft of public funds, conspiracy, and other charges, a plea listed on USAID's own website
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