U.S. State Department Funds Leftist Group Behind Chaotic Protests in Israel Against Netanyahu

A disturbing revelation exposes that “the State Department has granted tens of thousands of dollars to a left-wing group,” the Movement for Quality Government (MQG), which is “behind protests in Israel against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.” The Washington Examiner reports:

During the years 2020, 2021, and 2022, MQG pocketed roughly $10,000 to $15,000 each from the State Department, according to grant records.

The Washington Free Beacon reported that documents showed up a total of $38,000 since 2020. While the State Department confirmed the funding, it justified the spending on the grounds that the group is “a nonpartisan organization.” As the Free Beacon notes: “its work opposing Netanyahu raises questions about how the group was able to obtain U.S. funding.” It is highly unlikely that the State Department was unaware of what it was funding. In a 2018 report by Israel Hayom, the Movement for Quality Government (MQG), saw a “mass exodus” within the group as members accused the organization of turning “radical left,” operating under a “façade of righteousness,” “calling for a coup,” and attacking the right. Yet despite this alarming report, the group was (and is) regarded as a more “respectable” Leftist option to the radical anti-Netanyahu Leftist protesters that came out in droves in early January, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “anti-occupation slogans.” Compared to that group, the MQG indeed appeared more respectable, and thus it attracted Netanyahu antagonists who were ready to dole out funding from abroad. According to a JNS report, the MQG saw mainstream types turning out to its rally, including leaders:

Gantz made an appearance, as did fellow National Unity party lawmaker Gadi Eisenkot. Former politician and member of Gantz’s Blue and White faction Moshe Ya’alon also attended. However, Matan Kahana, one of the more right-wing members of Gantz’s party, did not, saying he didn’t want to be seen standing next to Palestinian flags.

In mid-February, the picture painted of the MQG in a JNS report by Caroline Glick didn’t look a benign as the State Department would have Americans believe the group to be:

Just as the State Department provides financial support for MQG’s subversion of Israel’s Jewish character, the Biden administration supports MQG’s campaign to prevent the Netanyahu government and the Knesset from passing the judicial and legal reform packages they ran on in November’s election.

Meanwhile, attesting to the collective convictions and motivations of the Biden administration, the IRS is allowing Islamic terrorists who seek Israel’s obliteration to fundraise through  “Leftist nonprofit” organizations, while also providing support for jihad terrorists, as it continues to misuse taxpayer funds to meddle in Israeli politics. Its meddling serves to exacerbate chaos in the country and stymie every effort of the Netanyahu government, but the Biden administration couldn’t possibly have known that, could they?

Americans are fed news about Israel from mostly Leftist news headlines that create the impression that the majority of Israelis oppose the Netanyahu government as far-Right, and even “extremist.” The Israeli government announced its intent ahead of elections to curtail the power of the judiciary, which Israelis knew would also bring changes to the balance of powers between the different branches of government. So while Leftists proclaimed in advance an “election dread,” Netanyahu won the elections, signifying to any onlooker that there is more than meets the eye regarding what the media is reporting.

Read what Newsweek published about the battle over judicial reform in Israel HERE.

Now it remains to be seen whether the Biden administration will be held accountable for funneling hard-earned American taxpayer cash to support chaotic nationwide protests against Netanyahu. Nothing will likely come of it other than serving as an eye-opener.

State Department funds left-wing group behind protests against Israeli prime minister

by Gabe Kaminsky, Washington Free Beacon, March 6, 2023:

The State Department has granted tens of thousands of dollars to a left-wing group behind protests in Israel against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, records show.

The Movement for Quality Government, a nonprofit organization, has been organizing protests against Netanyahu, chairman of the right-wing Likud party, according to multiple reports. That same entity has received over $38,000 from the State Department since 2020, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Monday.

“The State Department has provided small grants to the Movement for Quality Government, including a grant signed in 2020 during the previous administration and continued under the Biden administration that focused on teaching civic education and supporting good governance,” an agency spokesperson told the outlet. “The last tranche of funding was awarded in September 2022. The money was meant to be used for democracy training programs in the Israeli school system.”

Netanyahu, 73, was elected to a sixth term in December 2022. He held office between 1996 and 1999, and also from 2009 to 2022, making him the longest-tenured prime minister in Israel’s history.

MQG, which claims to be “nonpartisan,” has operated since 1990. The entity has stoked anti-Netanyahu protests that have been slammed in Israel and the United States, including a March gathering outside of a Tel Aviv, Israel, hair salon where Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister’s 64-year-old wife, was getting her hair done, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

During the years 2020, 2021, and 2022, MQG pocketed roughly $10,000 to $15,000 each from the State Department, according to grant records. The department was listed in records as the organization’s only foreign donor.

“Although relatively small (52,000 shekels — about $15,000 at the time) ostensibly for teaching Israeli high school students about democracy, the MQG is a very visible political NGO,” Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, an Israeli watchdog group, told the Washington Examiner. “They frequently use the Israeli High Court’s open-door policy to gain publicity for their partisan political campaigns, including seeking to undermine the legitimacy of Netanyahu as prime minister.”

The grant revelation comes amid the Biden administration coming under fire for having alleged anti-Israel bias. Members of Congress, such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), have raised concerns over the Justice Department investigating Israel’s accidental shooting of a Palestinian American journalist for Al Jazeera named Shireen Abu Akleh — who was hit by a stray bullet amid Israeli forces and Palestinian terrorists clashing in May 2022…..

AUTHOR

CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS

RELATED ARTICLE: Terror Attack on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, Israel

EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

---