House committee alleges Biden admin used funds to back anti-government protests in Israel

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The Biden-Harris administration is accused of misusing taxpayer dollars to fund protests in Israel against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prior to Oct. 7. 

The House Judiciary Committee recently released a memo outlining the allegations and showing a possible money trail.

"The Committee’s oversight has revealed that the Biden-Harris Administration provided grant funds to groups that contributed directly and indirectly to the judicial reform protests that sought to undermine the Israeli government," the committee wrote in the memo.

A person in handcuffs gestures during a protest against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition and its proposed judicial reforms to reduce the powers of the Supreme Court in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Feb. 11, 2023. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

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Netanyahu shared one of the charts from the memo on his X account and decried the "massive foreign intervention in an attempt to replace the right-wing government in Israel."

"An official document published by the U.S. Congress reveals astonishing information that confirms what many have long suspected: the previous U.S. administration transferred nearly a billion dollars to left-wing NGOs in Israel, with the aim of undermining the rule of the government," Netanyahu wrote in Hebrew.

APP USERS CLICK HERE TO READ THE MEMO

In March, the House Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Foreign Affairs sent letters to six American and Israeli NGOs asking for "documents related to any grants, cooperative agreements, or other awards received from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) or State Department." According to the Judiciary Committee’s memo, the organizations have produced a total of 380 documents so far.

The six NGOs were Blue White Future (BWF), Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQG), PEF Israel Endowment Funds, Jewish Communal Fund (JCF), Middle East Peace Dialogue Network (MEPDN) and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

People hold Israeli flags during a protest against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition and its proposed judicial reforms to reduce the powers of the Supreme Court in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Feb. 11, 2023. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen Preview)

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Before Hamas' attacks on Oct. 7, Israel was embroiled in an internal battle over judicial reform measures. This sparked a heated debate and widespread protests throughout the country. The House Judiciary Committee noted that then-President Joe Biden condemned the reform measures and appeared to express support for the protests.

"Like many strong supporters of Israel, I'm very concerned. I'm concerned that they get this straight. They cannot continue down this road. I've sort of made that clear," Biden told reporters in March 2023, according to CNN. Part of the quote also appears in the memo.

The committee claims BWF received funds from NGOs, including some U.S. grant recipients, and funded the coalition headquarters for the protests. Additionally, the committee alleges the Biden-Harris administration gave $42,000 to MQG to conduct activism training in Israeli high schools.

In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment, BWF CEO Rotem Perelman-Farhi pushed back on the committee's accusations.

"Following the publication of a memo by the House's Judiciary Committee, Blue White Future categorically rejects the false and groundless allegations concerning its funding and activities.
No state entity, administration, or government body — American or otherwise (USAID included) — has ever provided funding to the organization, whether directly or indirectly. All donations to the organization originate from private donors who care deeply about Israel's security and its future," Perelman-Farhi wrote. "We humbly recommend that the committee check the records of USAID and search there for any monies allocated to Blue White Future. They will find none."

People hold a banner during a protest against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition and its proposed judicial reforms to reduce the powers of the Supreme Court in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Feb. 11, 2023. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

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PEF Israel Endowment Funds is accused in the memo of providing over $884M to groups involved in anti-democracy protests. Similarly, the committee said the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors "likely provided portions of its $20 million in federal grants" to groups funding the protests. Additionally, the committee questions whether MEPDN violated its 501(c)(3) status "by funding anti-democracy protest."

When it comes to JCF, the committee claims the organization gave over $42.8M to the protest headquarters and the two main funders of the protests.

JCF told Fox News Digital it has "cooperated and continues to cooperate" with the committee's probe, but does not agree with its latest memo and said its "activities are not relevant to questions about the use of federal funds." 

The organization also said it is "not aware" of any donor-advised funds (DAFs) sponsored by JCF that have received such funds "indirectly."

"The memo from the Committees does not reflect an understanding that donors preserve advisory rights regarding the distribution of funds in their DAF.  JCF makes grants at the recommendation of underlying donors and, as such, distributions from DAFs at JCF reflect the wishes of underlying donors."

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The committee noted in the memo that the investigation is ongoing and that more American and Israeli NGOs will be added.

Fox News Digital reached out to the six NGOs mentioned in the memo and did not receive responses from four of them.