Category: Aid

House Passes Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan Aid

House Passes Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan Aid

U.S. House Votes On Foreign Aid Package For Ukraine, Israel, And Taiwan WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 20: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) reads from his notes while speaking with members of the media following passage of a series of foreign aide bills at the U.S. Capitol on April 20, 2024 in Washington, DC. The House is passed a $95 billion foreign aid package today for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
U.S. House Votes On Foreign Aid Packages For Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 20: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) reads from his notes while speaking with members of the media following passage of a series of foreign aide bills at the U.S. Capitol on April 20, 2024 in Washington, DC. The House passed a $95 billion foreign aid package today for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

OAN’s Abril Elfi
12:27 PM – Saturday, April 20, 2024

The House passed a series of bills to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan along with the potential ban of TikTok.

Following a morning of deliberations on the House floor Saturday, the four bills will be combined into one and forwarded to the Senate for their approval.

After which, the package will be forwarded to President Joe Biden for his signature.

Biden praised the bill, stating he would sign the legislation if passed by the Senate.

“I want to thank Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, and the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in the House who voted to put our national security first,” Biden said in a statement following the votes. “I urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) signaled Saturday that the Senate is expected to vote on the package on Tuesday.

“I am grateful to the United States House of Representatives, both parties and personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X after the vote.

Additionally, on Saturday, Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz expressed gratitude to Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) for their assistance in approving the aid.

More than $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, more than $26 billion for Israel, and more than $8 billion for Taiwan and Indo-Pacific security are all included in the bills.

A fourth bill calls for a national ban on China’s ByteDance if the company does not sell the social media site TikTok within nine months (the president may grant a ninety-day extension).

The $95 billion version of the aid package to finance Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine was approved by the Senate in February.

In response to Johnson’s aid plan, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) filed a motion to remove Speaker Johnson from office in March, but he hasn’t yet forced a vote on the proposal.

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While Gazans Throw US Aid in Trash, Biden Builds Pier to Bring Them More

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SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/03/while-gazans-throw-us-aid-in-trash-biden-builds-pier-to-bring-them-more; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

If only Biden had spent as much time helping the people of East Palestine as he did helping the “Palestinians.”

The media is saturated with Hamas propaganda falsely claiming that Gazans are “starving to death”.

The reality is that there’s food as can be seen in social media videos Gazans post. Prices are higher, but no one is starving to death.

There’s so much food that they’re throwing away the airdropped food we and others send to them.

But Biden will use the State of the Union address to announce that the U.S. will launch an “emergency mission” to build a pier that will be used to deliver aid by water.

It will take “a number of weeks” to get the temporary pier built and running, one of the officials briefing reporters said, adding that the US hopes that the port will turn into “a commercially operated facility over time.”

The officials clarified that the project will not require US boots on the ground in Gaza. Instead, US military personnel will be present on vessels offshore while the pier is being built.

“We’re not waiting on the Israelis. This is a moment for American leadership, and we are building a coalition of countries to address this urgent need,” one of the senior officials says.

The Biden admin knows that US military personnel will not be safe in Gaza, but millions of dollars will be spent to build a pier to send aid that the Gazans don’t even want and that someone in the admin hopes will become a “commercial facility.”

That’s what they think “American leadership” looks like.

Apart from wasting taxpayer money, this is building infrastructure that, unless Israel finishes off Hamas, will fall into the hands of terrorists.

If only Biden had spent as much time helping the people of East Palestine as he did helping the ‘Palestinians’.

Biden Regime Warns Israel Not to Interfere With Hamas Members Stealing Aid

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SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/02/biden-regime-warns-israel-not-to-interfere-with-hamas-members-stealing-aid; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

After promising that Hamas wouldn’t get the aid and denying that Hamas was taking the aid.

When the Biden administration pressured Israel to open up more aid to the Hamas territories, it swore that the aid would not fall into the hands of Hamas.

“If Hamas in any way blocks humanitarian assistance from reaching civilians, including by seizing the aid itself, we’ll be the first to condemn it. And we will work to prevent it from happening again,” Secretary of State Blinken pledged.

Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer assured CNN that “the president was quite clear that if this assistance goes in, it cannot be misappropriated, it cannot be taken by Hamas fighters and so we are going to be watching that very closely.”

On Halloween, John Kirby, Biden’s national security spokesman, denied anything was going on.

“We have seen no indication, none, that Hamas has gotten their hands on any of the humanitarian assistance that has gone in. None of it. It goes from these U.N. trucks to humanitarian organizations and the U.N. for delivery to the people of Gaza. That’s what we’ve seen with every single one of them,” he claimed.

In late December, an UNRWA official claimed that, “there’s no hijacking of our (UNRWA) supplies by Hamas.” The official then argued that accusations that Hamas was taking aid were a “disinformation campaign” which was “aimed at the very agency trying to help people.”

These kinds of lies go through three stages.

1. It will never happen

2. It’s happening and it’s a good thing

3. How dare you prevent it from happening

There are numberless examples in the political arena, but we’ve now reached stage 3 in the Hamas aid lie.

The Biden administration asked Israel to stop targeting members of the Hamas-run civilian police force who escort aid trucks in Gaza, warning that a “total breakdown of law and order” is significantly exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the enclave, three U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios.

U.S. officials say they are increasingly concerned “that Gaza is turning into Mogadishu” as a security vacuum and desperation have opened the door for armed gangs to attack and loot aid trucks, putting even more pressure on the Strip’s already strained humanitarian system.

Armed gangs? A Total breakdown of law and order? Who exactly do U.S. officials think Hamas is?

Months after the administration lied to our faces and told us over and over again that Hamas would never get the aid, that they won’t put up with it if they do, they redefine Hamas terrorists as members of the local police who are just providing an “escort” for aid trucks and killing them will lead to a “total breakdown of law and order”.

The alternative to a “total breakdown of law and order” is Hamas.

Here’s footage, by the way, of Hamas terrorists providing an escort for aid trucks.

And some more.

Hamas, much like the Houthis and the Taliban, appropriate aid, resell it and deliberately cause famines in order to profit from them, politically and financially.

We know how it works. We’ve seen it done in country after country.

There’s a larger significance to this messaging. The Biden administration is pivoting to protect Hamas. They’re redefining elements of Hamas as the thin line between anarchy. The “Mogadishu” talking point has been crafted and gone out.

Biden administration officials raised their concerns with their Israeli counterparts and asked that Israel stop targeting the Hamas civilian police as long there is no alternative that could provide security to the aid trucks, Israeli and U.S. officials said.

But Israel rebuffed the request because one of its goals in the war is to ensure that Hamas no longer runs Gaza, two Israeli officials said.

Go figure.

Biden national security aide tells Dearborn Muslims ‘I do not have any confidence in current government of Israel’

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SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/02/biden-national-security-aide-tells-dearborn-muslims-i-do-not-have-any-confidence-in-current-government-of-israel; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

Once again, the Biden regime is trying to appease its far-Left, Israeli-hating base. The regime could destroy the alliance altogether and throw Israel at the jihadis in exchange for Muslim support for Biden’s reelection.

“In Private Remarks to Arab Americans, Biden Aide Expresses Regrets on Gaza,” by Reid J. Epstein and Erica L. Green, New York Times, February 9, 2024:

In a closed-door meeting with Arab American leaders in Michigan this week, one of President Biden’s top foreign policy aides acknowledged mistakes in the administration’s response to the war in Gaza, saying he did not have “any confidence” that Israel’s government was willing to take “meaningful steps” toward Palestinian statehood….

The Biden aide, Jon Finer, a deputy national security adviser, offered some of the administration’s clearest expressions of regret for what he called “missteps” it had made since the beginning of the violence, and he pledged that it would do better.

During a meeting on Thursday with Arab American political leaders in Dearborn, Mich., Mr. Finer said, “We are very well aware that we have missteps in the course of responding to this crisis since Oct. 7,” according to a recording of the gathering obtained by The New York Times. A National Security Council official confirmed the recording was authentic.

Mr. Finer added: “We have left a very damaging impression based on what has been a wholly inadequate public accounting for how much the president, the administration and the country values the lives of Palestinians. And that began pretty early in the conflict.”…

Mr. Finer and several other senior Biden administration officials, including Samantha Power, the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, traveled to Dearborn on Thursday for a series of meetings, including one in which Mr. Finer’s comments were recorded.

Those sessions came a week after Biden's campaign aides, including Julie Chávez Rodríguez, the manager of his 2024 bid, quietly traveled to the city and met with a few officials, including Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American progressive who is at the forefront of Democratic calls for a cease-fire.

However, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud of Dearborn and several other local officials declined to meet with Ms. Chávez Rodríguez. Mr. Hammoud later issued a statement saying he wished to speak with policymakers instead of campaign officials. White House officials then scrambled to arrange a visit.

During Thursday's meetings, Mr. Finer articulated the American government’s efforts to bring a halt to the war in Gaza. Building a formal diplomatic relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia, he said, is a critical step toward creating a Palestinian state. Doing so, he added, requires politically difficult sacrifices from both countries and the United States.

“We will have to do things for Saudi Arabia that will be very unpopular in this country and in our Congress,” Mr. Finer said. “Will Israel be willing to do the hard thing that’s going to be required of them, which is meaningful steps for the Palestinians on the question of two states?" I don’t know if the answer to that is yes. I do not have any confidence in this current government of Israel.”…

Biden regime gives Israel 45 days to submit report on alleged international law violations or lose military aid

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SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/02/biden-regime-gives-israel-45-days-to-submit-report-on-alleged-international-law-violations-or-lose-military-aid; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

As I have predicted, the Biden regime is moving toward rupturing the US/Israeli alliance in order to appease his far-Left base.

“Biden gives Israel 45 days to submit a report on international law violations or lose military aid,” by Hannah Sarisohn, Jerusalem Post, February 9, 2024:

President Joe Biden issued a memorandum Thursday night asking countries receiving U.S. military funding to prove they’re following international humanitarian and human rights laws.

The timing of the memorandum coincides with President Biden’s unscheduled press conference where he took reporters’ questions on the Israel-Hamas war, saying Israel’s response is “over the top.”

For weeks now, reporters have pressed both the White House and State Department on their ability to assess if Israel is following international law as there have been no formal assessment procedures in place.

Administration officials have repeated that one innocent life killed is too many, but have stopped short of implying that Israel is in violation of international law.

Members of Congress raised concern over Israel’s human rights violations, The Post previously reported.

Led by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), several progressive Democratic members issued a letter to Biden and the Government Accountability Office requesting an assessment of the State Department’s compliance with Leahy Laws and Conventional Arms Transfer policies regarding security assistance to the Israeli government.

“We write today regarding your administration’s ongoing weapons transfers to the Israeli government despite considerable evidence that these transfers are flagrantly violating American and international law and are being used in the commission of war crimes,” the letter to Biden said.

The letter cites a January 5 comment from White House national security spokesman John Kirby in which he said he wasn’t aware of any assessments being made by the US government to analyze Israel’s compliance with international law.

Regular updates
Biden’s memorandum requires states receiving military aid to provide the State Department and Congress with thorough reports every fiscal year with details of any alleged legal violations, explanations for military actions in question, and the process taken to assess legality in making those decisions….

Biden’s Senior Director for Intelligence Programs on NSC was UNRWA official while it was aiding Hamas

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SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/01/bidens-senior-director-for-intelligence-programs-on-nsc-was-unrwa-official-while-it-was-aiding-hamas#; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

There is still more indication of which side the Biden regime is really on, and thoroughly infiltrated the Washington establishment is. That infiltration advanced under cover of charges of “Islamophobia” against anyone who suggested there might be a problem.

“Biden Appoints Former Palestinian UNRWA Official as Director of NSC Intelligence,” Saudi Press, n.d. (thanks to J. Michael Waller):

Real diversity without exemption: President Joe Biden on Friday appointed Palestinian-American attorney Maher al-Bitar, who served on President Barack Obama’s National Security Council as Director of Israeli and Palestinian Affairs and as deputy to Samantha Power, to be the new director of the NSC intelligence service.

Al-Bitar’s new job is an important day-to-day connective tissue between the intelligence community and the White House.

A graduate of Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, al-Bitar received a Master of Science in Forced Migration from Oxford University’s Refugee Studies Center on a Marshall scholarship and has worked with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Jerusalem.

Maher al-Bitar has served as Foreign Affairs Officer in the Office of the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, and holds a Juris Doctor from Georgetown Law, and is a member of the Maryland Bar. He was Rep. Adam Schiff’s top legal adviser and played a key role in the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump, alongside Dan Goldman, who worked as the impeachment manager’s top lawyer. Goldman called al-Bitar “a brilliant lawyer.”…

Biden regime spokesman defends UNRWA despite mounting evidence of its aid to Hamas’ jihad against Israel

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Over the years at Jihad Watch, and particularly since Oct. 7, we have provided extensive evidence of UNRWA’s collaboration with Hamas, as well as its teaching of jihad and Jew-hatred in UNRWA schools. The fact that the Biden regime does not wish to defund or even upbraid UNRWA in light of all this evidence is yet another indication of which side it is really on.

“John Kirby: UNRWA does important work,” by Elad Benari, Israel National News, January 5, 2024:

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Thursday defended the work of UNRWA, the UN agency for “Palestinian refugees” after a reporter suggested the US should rethink its support for the UN agency in the wake of reports that its facilities are being used by Hamas terrorists.

“UNRWA does important work. In fact, they’re doing a lot of heavy lifting right now in terms of trying to get food, water, medicine to the people of Gaza, all up and down the Strip. They’re doing a lot of work, and they’re doing it in harm’s way — very much so in harm’s way,” said Kirby.

“You can’t hold them accountable for the depredations of Hamas and the way Hamas uses civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, for command and control, for storage of weapons, for the holding of hostages,” he added.

When the reporter noted that the US gave UNRWA a billion dollars, Kirby replied, “They do good work in Gaza, and they are important to helping get the humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. And we’re grateful for that work that they’re doing, very much in harm’s way.”

He added, “I will let them speak to whatever concerns they have over Hamas’s activities and the degree to which that they feel obligated to speak out or not.”…

However, it is also notorious for its anti-Israel activities. During the 2014 counterterrorism Operation Protective Edge, Hamas rockets were discovered inside a school building run by UNRWA.

Likewise, a booby-trapped UNRWA clinic was detonated, killing three IDF soldiers. Aside from the massive amounts of explosives hidden in the walls of the clinic, it was revealed that it stood on top of dozens of terror tunnels, showing how UNRWA is closely embedded with Hamas.

More recently, it was discovered that a hostage kidnapped by Hamas to Gaza was held for 50 days in the attic of an UNRWA teacher.

Last year, the US increased its financial support for UNRWA, reaching a record $223 million, an increase of $16 million on the previous year….