Peloni: The US sponsorship of terror continues…This must end!
The USAID money train to Gaza is still running.
By Daniel Greenfield | Feb 23, 2025
The disastrous Hamas deal negotiated by Biden and Steven Witkoff is continuing to exact an ugly price.
And the United States is paying for it. Literally.
The USAID money train to Gaza is still running. So far we’re sending $134 million, but we may well be on the hook for billions.
“The Trump administration recently released $5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, mostly for security and counter-narcotics programs, including $78 million for non-food humanitarian assistance in Gaza, and $56 million for the Red Cross related to the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, according to a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters that included only limited humanitarian relief.”
Most of the $5 billion appears to involve military aid to allies, but the $134 million to Gaza is a red flag.
Especially because freezing that money was a big initial win for DOGE’s campaign to reform USAID.
Around 8 p.m. on Sunday, a USAID staffer pushed forward $78 million for food and shelter to Palestinians living in Gaza. Two hours later, that staffer and contractors working in over 100 countries were locked out of their email accounts.
As the agency began to crumble under an attack from its own government, staffers worked frantically to send money keeping hospitals and soup kitchens from Gaza to Sudan running, saying that people may die as a result of the chaos. As of Monday afternoon, they were trying to send $305 million to the World Food Program. “We’re blowing through all the normal processes to get this out as quickly as possible,” says one staffer.
USAID was brought under control and yet that $78 million is now going out the door. Why?
The only reason that USAID was able to issue an exemption for the $78 million earmarked for Gaza is because the American government is obligated under the terms of the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas negotiated in part by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff.
This is another part of the Biden-Witkoff disaster that needs to end now.
We have $134 million going out the window as part of the Biden-Witkoff deal, but the real question is how much more are we obligated for?
Are we funding the ghoulish Red Cross hostage transfer ceremonies?
I repeatedly warned that the Biden-Witkoff deal puts us on the hook. People dismissed it. Now it can’t be dismissed anymore.
We are on the hook and US taxpayer money is continuing to go to Gaza.
That’s why we need to get out of the deal. Now.
@dreuveni
This is not Trump’s first shot at the presidency, so it might be argued that he has had his first hundred days, and more, already.
Also, it is not a point of idle criticism to raise the fact that the Surrender Deal which was forced on Israel by Trump’s close ally and confident in cooperation with the terror supporting Qataris included a stipulation to provide massive funding for the terrorist Hamas, and that this funding of slaughter was not amended, even amid all the wonky, ill advised and salacious payments which DOGE has already moved to cancel. This iniquitous payment to the murderers of Americans and Israelis alike was part of the work product of Trump’s administration’s first undertaking as it was literally forced thru before Trump took his oath of office.
Even more egregious than any of this is the fact that as Trump has now completely abandoned any support for the Surrender deal forced on Israel, his govt did not cancel these payments.
This is the context of the vehemence which has been raised on this subject, and which I hope raises enough dust to come to the attention of Trump himself. It is both unseemly that such a payment would be made by the current administration, as well as unbelievable that Trump would not unilaterally cancel this payment when hearing about it.
Hence, while you argue that it is too early to raise such an uproar against the actions of the current administration, I would argue that the uproar which has been raised has been too stifled to gain Trump’s attention, as the payments to Hamas have yet to be reported as rescinded, ie we need to raise more attention to this outrageous subsidy to terror. Just my own views of course, such as they are.
I’m surprised by the vehement responses to comments here. While I agree that Donald should be more careful with his choice of representatives, especially in the Middle East, a quick look at what he has been facing so far in his first 5 weeks is not quite fair when the expected 100 days of probation in the new job are customary and he still has the 100 days of his first term which were ignored by one and all.
It is not surprising that Donald has tried to fill all positions with people he can trust while leaving out members of his family. That simply makes the task more difficult. Taking stock of those selected in his first term, the new ones are mostly getting the job done. Let’s give him the chance of selecting a couple of new guys to fill those spots before denouncing him. Also, think back on his predecessors, Biden and Obama and all the good things they did for us including arm twisting and other coercions
Email recevied:
“U.S. Office of Palestinian. Affairs
Since 2021, USAID/West Bank and Gaza has invested over $600 million in economic support funding of the Palestinian people, in addition to the over $2.1 billion in humanitarian assistance since October 7, 2023.Nov 15, 2024”
https://palestinianaffairs.state.gov
USAID Provides $230 Million in New Funding to Support the Palestinian People
“Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas Promises He’ll Continue Payments to Terrorists
By Hana Levi Julian – 26 Shevat 5785 – February 23, 2025
“said.
“Even if we only have one cent left, it will go to the prisoners and martyrs. They must receive everything as in the past, for they are more precious than all of us put together.”
“…Abbas immediately took steps, however, to ensure his words would not be conveyed to the Trump Administration. Shortly after the meeting was broadcast on “Palestine TV”, the recording was removed from the PATV network. However, the full recording was uploaded by Israeli Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, and made available by the Israeli Regavim organization as well as by the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news network…
“Palestinian Foreign Aid: U.S. Aid to PA Exceeds Marshall Plan Aid to Europe
by Dr. Patrick Clawson (Updated 2002)”
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/u-s-aid-to-pa-exceeds-marshall-plan-aid-to-europe
@John Galt IV
I completely disagree. It is unacceptable that the US taxpayers should spend a single penny on any terrorist entity, much one which openly butchered, raped and murdered more than three dozen Americans, ignoring the more than 1200 Israeli’s and other 32 nationalities slaughtered on October 7. Notably, Hamas still holds an American hostage, and it is well known the depths of depravity in which they keep their captives.
As I noted in my preface above, this is unacceptable, and I can not believe that while the US is pulling funding to all the other NGOs, groups and nations which have been nefariously fed for far too long at the USAID trough, that Hamas alone would be left in place to feed on to the tune of well over a hundred million dollars.
@Laura,
I completely agree. Money is fungible, so the notion that any asset easily converted to cash is not materially supportive of Hamas’ terror campaign is completely inaccurate, which is why they insisted upon it, and why the Biden-Witkof negotiations permitted it.
So I say again, this act of subsidizing depravity must finally come to an end!
First of all, they use that money for weapons. The money isn’t harmless. Secondly, why should military aid to Israel be predicated on giving money to hamas? The two sides aren’t morally equivalent, and our government should stop both sidesing this issue. I expected better from Trump. I expected him to finally reverse decades of absurd US policy in the Mideast which treated the situation as if this was a land dispute rather than an existential struggle for Israel’s survival.
Stop making excuses for Trump that you would never accept if it was a democrat.
This is deeply frustrating and disappointing. Just when I thought I could trust Trump on Israel, he pulls another about face. He talks tough publicly when it comes to Gaza/hamas, but eventually capitulates.
I guess Donald has too many issues needing his attention right now. We should give him the chance to act on this discrepancy too.
Truly outrageous. The Red Cross refused to deliver any aid whatsoever to the hostages although it delivered aid to Hames officials, supposedly as humanitarian assistance. When the Israeli government complained about the behavior of the Red Cross representatives in both Israel and Gaza, the Red Cross claimed that it would put the lives of its representatives in danger if they delivered any help to the hostages,
For many years now, the Red Cross has refused to work with Israel’s emergency medical aid service,the Mogun Dovid Adom. But it does work with the Muslin Red Crescent emergency service organization, In Judea-Samaria, Gaza, and throughout the Arab world. Because of this discriminatory behavior, Isael should ban the International Red Cross from Israel, and the U,S, should stop sending any money to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Switzerland. This committee is the organization that sends its caregivers and medical supplies delivery people to the Land of Israel and throughout the Middle East. While the Red Cross provides both supplies and medical care to Arabs (“Palestinians”) bit does not provide any medical care and doesn’t deliver supplies to Jewish prisoners in Israeli jails.
Enough already! No aid to Gaza for any reason. BTW, what does it mean that they get money for “security”? Protection against IDF justice?
I’m so sick of the poor little me game the Gazans play to get the world’s sympathy, lots of money, and never having to take responsibility for their actions.
Please trump get rid of witkoff and move the air base in qatar
So, we give Hamas $134,000,000 for useless stuff they will steal from their people.
We give Israel (1,800) 2,000 lb. Mark 84 bombs and (25) F-35 stealth fighter bombers – total cost over $3,000,000,000
While I don’t like Hamas getting $1.00, I’ll take the planes and bombs any day,
Those staff should consider that what they have done is treason.
Ship em to Gitmo and put them in the old non-airconditioned outdoor cages.