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Biden Administration Accused of Helping Fund Anti-Netanyahu Protests in Israel
People hold Israeli flags during a demonstration as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nationalist coalition government presses on with its contentious judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 11, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Nir Elias
A new US congressional memo has accused the former Biden administration of indirectly funding anti-government protests in Israel targeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reform agenda.
The memo, released by Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, alleges that US taxpayer dollars were channeled through the State Department, US Agency for International Development (USAID), and other federal agencies for use by a network of US and Israeli NGOs to support demonstrations opposing the Netanyahu government’s proposal to overhaul Israel’s judiciary.
The memo levels allegations against six organizations: Blue White Future, Movement for Quality Government in Israel, PEF Israel Endowment Funds, Jewish Communal Fund, Middle East Peace Dialogue Network, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. The committee claims these groups received US grants or served as intermediaries for federal funds, which were ultimately used to finance anti-reform activities in Israel.
According to the committee, these efforts “contributed directly and indirectly to the judicial reform protests that sought to undermine the Israeli government.”
The memo specifically sites activities by Blue White Future, which allegedly used donor-advised funds from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to help establish the protest headquarters in Tel Aviv. Another group, the Movement for Quality Government, reportedly received over $40,000 from US sources for so-called “civic activism training” in Israeli high schools. Critics allege these activities were politically charged.
Republicans also flagged concerns over PEF Israel Endowment Funds and the Jewish Communal Fund, which funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to organizations linked to the protest movement. Some of the NGOs under scrutiny have also been accused of having indirect ties to extremist groups, a charge that, if proven, could constitute violations of US laws governing nonprofit funding and anti-terrorism statutes.
The committee alleges that the Biden administration “potentially funded groups with ties to US-designated terrorist organizations.”
The Bayader Association for Environment and Development, a NGO that operates within Gaza, has received grant funding from American taxpayers despite openly collaborating with Hamas officials, according to the committee.
“These ties are not new,” the committee states. “For instance, in 2021, Bayader’s annual report notes ‘coordination’ and ‘meetings’ with Hamas’s Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Works, Ministry of Social Affairs, and Ministry of Agriculture.”
The allegations follow a broader political battle in Israel, where Netanyahu’s judicial reform efforts, which include limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to review legislation and giving the ruling coalition greater control over judicial appointments, triggered mass demonstrations across the country. Biden administration officials had publicly criticized the reforms, warning they could undermine Israeli democracy.
Following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza, the Israeli public’s attention largely shifted to the conflict and the hostages kidnapped by Hamas, ending most of the protests over the judicial reforms.
The US House Judiciary Committee is expected to escalate its inquiry in the coming weeks, presenting additional document requests and potential subpoenas. While no criminal activity has been established, observers have noted the investigation raises significant questions about oversight of foreign aid, nonprofit transparency, and the boundaries of US involvement in the domestic affairs of foreign allies.
The post Biden Administration Accused of Helping Fund Anti-Netanyahu Protests in Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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UK Blocks Israeli Officials From Its Biggest Defense Show
Visitors look at ammunition on display at the Defense and Security Equipment International trade show in this file photo in London, Britain, Sept. 12, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/Hannah McKay
Britain has barred Israeli officials from its biggest defense trade show over its escalation of the war against Hamas in Gaza, its latest effort to pressure a historically close ally over the conflict.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government said in July it would recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel took steps to relieve suffering in the enclave and met other conditions, enraging the Israeli government.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense said that as a result of the trade fair ban it would not run its national pavilion as it has done previously at London’s Defense & Security Equipment International (DSEI) event.
Israeli defense companies, such as Elbit Systems, Rafael, IAI, and Uvision, will still be able to attend.
Britain’s move had echoes of a dispute at the Paris Air Show three months ago, when France blocked off with black partitions the stands of Israeli defense companies after they refused to remove attack weapons from display, sparking a furious response from Israel.
A British government spokesperson said on Friday that the Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza was wrong.
“As a result, we can confirm that no Israeli government delegation will be invited to attend DSEI UK 2025.”
“There must be a diplomatic solution to end this war now, with an immediate ceasefire, the return of the hostages and a surge in humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” the spokesperson added.
Israel said Britain’s decision was a “regrettable act of discrimination” and “introduces political considerations wholly inappropriate for a professional defense industry exhibition.”
The four-day show, due to open on Sept. 9, features national delegations and private companies, who showcase military kit and weapons at London’s Excel center. The event takes place every other year.
DSEI is organized by a private company, Clarion Defense and Security, but with backing from the British government and the military.
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Israel Pounds Gaza City Outskirts as Military Push Quickens
Palestinians gather near a cemetery as smoke rises following an explosion during an Israeli operation in Gaza City, Aug. 28, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Israel‘s military stepped up armed operations around Gaza City on Friday, ending temporary pauses there that had allowed for aid deliveries, as it announced the recovery of the body of Ilan Weiss, a hostage seized by Hamas.
Israel is pushing ahead with a plan to take full control of the whole Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City, with the goal of destroying Hamas after nearly 23 months of war.
“The local tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza City, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone,” the Israeli military said.
The Gaza City campaign has gradually intensified over the past week as Israel has urged civilians to leave for the south of the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli military‘s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said the military was operating with great intensity on the outskirts of Gaza City and would “deepen our strikes” as it pressed its assault.
It announced daily 10-hour tactical pauses in fighting across the enclave and new aid corridors in late July, after months of restricted humanitarian deliveries drew international criticism.
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Germany Tells Nationals to Leave Iran, Fearing Retaliation Over Move With UK, France to Restore UN Sanctions
United Kingdom’s Ambassador to the United Nations Barbara Woodward, accompanied by other E3 members German Ambassador Ricklef Beutin and Deputy French Ambassador Jay Dharmadhikari, speaks to members of the press about Iran and nuclear weapons outside the UN Security Council chamber at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, Aug. 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Angelina Katsanis
Germany has told its nationals to leave Iran and refrain from traveling there to avoid getting caught in retaliatory acts by Tehran over Germany‘s role in triggering UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.
Britain, France, and Germany on Thursday launched a 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, a step likely to stoke tensions two months after Israel and the United States bombed Iran.
“As Iranian government representatives have repeatedly threatened with consequences in this case, it cannot be ruled out that German interests and nationals will be affected by countermeasures in Iran,” the foreign ministry said in a statement posted on its website on Thursday.
“Currently, the German Embassy in Tehran can only provide limited consular assistance on site,” it warned.
Britain, France, and Germany urged Iran at the United Nations on Friday to meet three requirements so their threat of reimposing UN sanctions can be delayed to allow space for talks on a deal to address their concerns about Tehran’s nuclear program.
UN envoys for the three countries – known as the E3 – issued a joint statement before a closed-door Security Council meeting.
The E3 offered to delay reinstating sanctions – known as snapback – for up to six months if Iran restored access for UN nuclear inspectors, addressed concerns about its stock of enriched uranium, and engaged in talks with the United States.
“Our asks were fair and realistic,” said Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward, who read the statement. “However, as of today, Iran has shown no indication that it is serious about meeting them.”
“We urge Iran to reconsider this position, to reach an agreement based on our offer, and to help create the space for a diplomatic solution to this issue for the long term,” she said, with her German and French counterparts standing next to her.
In response, Iran‘s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said the E3 offer was “full of unrealistic preconditions.”
“They are demanding conditions that should be the outcome of negotiations, not the starting point, and they know these demands cannot be met,” he told reporters.
Iravani said the E3 should instead back “a short, unconditional technical extension of Resolution 2231,” which enshrines a 2015 nuclear deal that lifted UN and Western sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
SINO-RUSSIAN DRAFT
Russia and China have proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution that would extend the 2015 deal for six months and urge all parties to immediately resume negotiations. But they have not yet asked for a vote.
The pair, strategic allies of Iran, have removed controversial language from the draft – which they initially proposed on Sunday – that would have blocked the E3 from reimposing UN sanctions on Iran.
Iravani described the Russian and Chinese draft resolution as a practical step to give diplomacy more time. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the US, France, Britain, China, or Russia.
UN nuclear inspectors have returned to Iran for the first time since it suspended cooperation with them after attacks in June on its nuclear sites by Israel and the United States. But Iran has not yet reached an agreement on how it would resume full work with the International Atomic Energy Agency.