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Home Front: WoT
Lawfare: Group sues US, Clinton, for 'funding terror'
2012-11-29
[JPost] Shurat Hadin files lawsuit on behalf of Americans living in Israel over alleged funding of Paleostinian terror in West Bank, Gazoo.

A group of 24 Americans living in Israel, including victims of terrorism, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
... sometimes described as The Liberatress of Libya and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Hamilton Fish ...
and the US government over allegations of funding Paleostinian terrorism in the West Bank and Gazoo.

The civil action, filed in the district court of Washington, DC, alleges that the US State Department, including Clinton, has ignored congressional safeguards and transparency requirements attached to US aid to the Paleostinian Authority under the Paleostinian Anti-Terrorism Act.

Related:
Shurat HaDin warns charity over alleged terror ties
Leb War victims alter game of terror financing

In announcing the lawsuit, Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center noted that it had filed the case right as the PA is about to seek non-member status at the UN on Thursday, implying that the lawsuit could have embarrassing consequences for the PA, the US government and other supporters of the PA at a critical diplomatic moment.

The US Embassy said that it could not provide an official response by press time.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that the White House has not been complying with the regulations and reporting obligations governing presidential waivers which facilitate emergency funding to the Paleostinians.

As a result of the alleged noncompliance, the lawsuit contends that US funds have been flowing, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to terror groups like Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and others.

The lawsuit claims that since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the US State Department, via USAID, has given over $4 billion to Paleostinians.

However,
Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried...
Shurat HaDin could not provide clear figures about how much of those amounts have found their way into the hands of terrorists, focusing instead on the alleged failed supervision and transparency.

Shurat HaDin maintained that a more thorough investigation of the PA budget would reveal concrete funding given by the PA to the Gazoo police, considered by many to part of Hamas's armed wing. The organization argues that the State Department should be demanding these amounts from the PA and then providing the figures to Congress for oversight.

According to Shurat Hadin, the State Department is supposed to be providing very specific oversight of the PA budget, spending and bank accounts as "an international mechanism" to ensure that there is transparency.

Each time the president utilizes a waiver and directly funds the PA because Congress does not want to appropriate funds, contended Shurat Hadin, the State Department is supposed to report to Congress that it knows where the PA funds are going and that they are not being used for terrorism.

According to the lawsuit, Americans living in proximity to these Paleostinian terror groups are in the class of individuals that Congress sought to protect through the safeguards and regulations that the White House, State Department and USAID are allegedly disregarding.

The suit asks the federal court to review the conduct of the State Department and the safeguards on funds being distributed by USAID in its programs to the PA and to the United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
Refugee Worker's Administration.

It also seeks an injunction to suspend future American aid to the PA and UNRWA until all congressionally legislated regulations and reporting requirements are fully complied with.

The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Norman Steiner of New York and Nitsana Darshan- Leitner, the director of Shurat HaDin.

Darshan-Leitner stressed that "once handed over, US funding of the PA and UNRWA is difficult to trace and the State Department has been lax in requiring the Paleostinians to utilize bank accounts and other transfer methods that ensure transparency."

The founder of the Israeli counterterror group added that "US aid to the Paleostinians is killing innocent people."

Steiner added: "The American people are opposed to terror and do not want to fund it via their taxes. The ongoing noncompliance of the White House and State Department with congressionally mandated protections cannot be allowed to continue."

Established in 2003 and based in Tel-Aviv, Shurat HaDin works together with Western intelligence agencies and volunteer lawyers around the world to file legal actions on behalf of victims of terror.
Posted by:trailing wife

#5  Executive robs one entity (re: Defense)

All part of the greater Obama plan. These folks (both active and retired) represent a very small portion of Champ's constituency. They are "the enemy, we know who you are".
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-11-29 09:54  

#4  ..it's called fungibility

Which Americans will learn about if sequestering take place as the Executive robs one entity (re: Defense) to keep another entity running even if its against written law. What will they do about it and who has the guts to do it?
Posted by: Procopius2k   2012-11-29 09:50  

#3  garth, it's called fungibility and is the bane of any foreign aid plan. It matters not one whit which pocket provides the funds. The only way to deal with it is to provide 0 funding and let the beggar decide on what his limited funds get spent; civil service pay or bombs.
Posted by: AlanC   2012-11-29 08:40  

#2  The Israeli govt has also provided funds to the PA.

Since Salam Fayad reorganized PA finances in early 2008, the American and Israeli funds have been pretty well sequestered into civil service pay and civilian infrastructure.

The bad part of this is that by doing so, other funding, say from the Soddys, etc. has been available for other uses.
Posted by: lord garth   2012-11-29 02:59  

#1  Empty threat, you can;t sue for "Lawful Actions".
They'll find out the hard way.

Did Hitler "Sue"when he lost a battle?
Hell no.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2012-11-29 01:31  

00:00