Latest news with #Israel-aligned
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'If America pulls plug on Israel, God will pull plug on us' Sen. Lindsey Graham asserts
'Israel is not the bad guys. They're the good guys. The bad guys are the radical Islamists who would kill everybody in this room if they could,' he added. US Senator Lindsey Graham stated that "if America pulls the plug on Israel, God will pull the plug on us," at a South Carolina Republican Party meeting on Wednesday. 'If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they could. They have the capability to do that. They choose not to,' he said. 'Hamas, they would commit genocide in 30 seconds. They just can't.' 'Israel is not the bad guys. They're the good guys. The bad guys are the radical Islamists who would kill everybody in this room if they could,' he added. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene slams Graham His remarks were slammed by conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who claimed that he was saying the 'quiet part out loud.' 'That is quite a statement and is an acknowledgment that nuclear-armed Israel is more than capable of defending themselves, by themselves, and not only defeating their enemies, but completely wiping them out!' She wrote on X/Twitter. The Georgia representative argued that this mindset detracts from the 'America first' policy that the Trump administration has pushed. 'The gross negligent consequences of America LAST decisions by MOST politicians in Washington DC has not only chained all of us and our future generations in debt, but eroded the value of our dollar, driven out of control inflation making life completely unaffordable, and is destroying the middle class and turning my children's generation into the WORKING POOR!!!' she added. Greene also asserted that Israel or Israel-aligned groups bankroll conservative influencers' all-expenses-paid trips to the country. 'All hell broke loose when Tucker Carlson dared to show clean subways and well-stocked grocery stores in Moscow!' Finally, she called Graham's statement on 'pulling he plug' a fear-mongering tactic. 'We don't believe we go to heaven based on how much money we blindly give and how many bombs we drop on the secular government of Israel's enemies,' she wrote.
Middle East Eye
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
US analysis found no evidence of Hamas aid theft in Gaza
An internal US government review has found no evidence of systematic theft of US-funded humanitarian aid by Hamas, contradicting a claim frequently made by Israel and its allies in Washington. The analysis, revealed exclusively by Reuters on Friday, was conducted by a bureau within the US Agency for International Development (USAID). It examined 156 incidents of theft or loss of US-funded supplies reported by partner organisations between October 2023 and May 2025 and found 'no reports alleging Hamas' had benefited from the aid. Instead, 44 of the incidents of stolen or lost aid were found to be either directly or indirectly caused by the Israeli military. This included 11 attributed to direct Israeli actions, such as air strikes, and others linked to the military compelling aid organisations to use delivery routes known to carry a high risk of theft or looting. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Sixty-three of the incidents were attributed to unknown perpetrators, 35 to armed actors, 25 to unarmed individuals, 11 to corrupt subcontractors, five to corrupt aid group personnel and six to 'others' under unclear circumstances. The armed actors 'included gangs and other miscellaneous individuals who may have had weapons', said one slide of the analysis. Palestinians have accused the Israel-aligned Abu Shabab gang of involvement in the theft of aid. Another slide said "a review of all 156 incidents found no affiliations with" groups designated by the US as foreign terrorist organisations, including Hamas. The 156 reports were filed by UN agencies and other groups working in Gaza, as a condition of receiving US aid funds. The study was conducted by the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance of USAID. A State Department spokesperson disputed the findings, telling Reuters that there was video evidence of Hamas looting aid. It did not provide the footage. 'Aid corruption' The spokesperson also accused international aid groups of covering up 'aid corruption'. The analysis was shared with USAID's Office of Inspector General and State Department officials involved in Middle East policy, sources told Reuters. A source familiar with the study said the absence of systematic theft by Hamas of aid 'does not mean that diversion has not occurred'. US ignored report saying GHF was not fit to deliver aid in Gaza: Report Read More » Israel controls all access to humanitarian aid into Gaza and has imposed a near-total blockade on the enclave since March. Officials in Israel have long claimed that Hamas steals food supplies from the UN and other organisations to boost its coffers and resells goods to civilians. The Israeli military told Reuters its allegations were based on intelligence that Hamas seized aid cargoes by 'both covertly and overtly' embedding themselves on trucks. Israel has not made any such intelligence report public. The USAID report casts even further doubt on the unverified allegations that were used as part of the rationale to set up the controversial US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The UN says that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid supplies, mostly near the highly militarised GHF sites. The UN and other major international aid groups have refused US and Israeli calls to cooperate with GHF, stating that the organisation violates international humanitarian principles of neutrality. Israel's siege on Gaza since 2 March has blocked the entry of humanitarian supplies by the UN and its partner organisations to the enclave, bringing the 2.1 million population to the brink of famine. At least 115 Palestinians, including 80 children, have died of starvation since March, including 15 who died of malnutrition on Monday, according to the Palestinian health ministry. More than 59,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces since October 2023 and over 142,000 others have been wounded.
Memri
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Columbia University Activist Mahmoud Khalil in Rally to Celebrate His Release from ICE Detention: I Did Nothing Wrong; U.S. Government Is a Killing Machine; Israel Is the Top Threat to U.S. Foreign Po
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University activist released from ICE detention, spoke at a rally held in his honor on June 22, 2025. Khalil declared that 'there isn't a shred of evidence that what I did or said is wrong,' and called the U.S. government a 'killing machine.' Responding to allegations that his speech undermines 'U.S. foreign policy on combating antisemitism,' he said that Israel is 'the top foreign policy threat to the U.S.' He called it 'ironic' that such accusations were coming from Senator Marco Rubio, who he claimed 'regularly meets with new Nazis.' Khalil also accused Columbia University of failing to protect pro-Palestinian students, saying that they have been targeted by 'Israel-aligned groups' on campus who feel emboldened to continue to harass and harm them. Khalil, draped in a Palestinian flag, led chants against Columbia University. He stood alongside Manolo De Los Santos, executive director and founder of the People's Forum, as well as other members of the organization. Manolo De Los Santos and the People's Forum have been reported to maintain financial ties with the Chinese Communist Party.
New York Post
23-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil bashes Columbia ‘hypocrisy' in first NYC rally since being released from ICE detainment
Anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil on Sunday bashed his alma mater Columbia University over its 'hypocrisy' in claiming to support international students while leaving him to rot in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center for three months until his release last week. 'I must call the hypocrisy of Columbia University. A university that just two weeks ago said that they want to protect their international students,' lamented the 30-year-old, who was wearing a blue polo shirt emblazoned with 'Lift the siege on Gaza,' as he spoke on the steps of St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights, just blocks from the Ivy League's campus where he helped spearhead anti-Israel encampments last year. 'While over 100 days later, I haven't received a single call from this university.' Advertisement Khalil was arrested by federal immigration authorities on March 8 and spent 104 days at a rural Louisiana detention center as the Trump administration fought to deport the Syrian-born permanent US resident. He was released from federal custody Friday after a New Jersey judge ordered his release. 'I also must call out their double standards. How did we become targets of Israel-aligned groups?' he continued. 'Because Columbia University failed to protect students. Columbia University, in fact, emboldened these individuals to continue to harass and harm students.' The cathedral steps were packed with members of Khalil's legal team, his wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, 28, and his infant son, Deen, who was born while he was in ICE custody. Many supporters brought their own keffiyehs, Palestine flags and a sea of 'Welcome home' signs mixed in with anti-ICE posters. Advertisement 5 Mahmoud Khalil speaks at a homecoming rally in Morningside Heights Sunday, two days after he was released from a Louisiana ICE facility. Michael Nigro 5 Khalil was behind bars for three months. Michael Nigro Khalil said he originally sought to hold the homecoming at Columbia, but school officials refused. The Post reached out to Columbia for a comment. Advertisement 'Columbia administrators never disappoint to disappoint. So, I'm not surprised. This is very shameful, because they are the ones who know me very well. They are the ones who, in private, in fact, tell me that there is anti-Palestinian racism in Columbia, that there is manufactured hysteria about antisemitism at Columbia University because of our protests, but they don't dare to talk about that in public,' he insisted. 5 A judge deemed Khalil's detention to be unconstitutional and unjust. Michael Nigro 5 Khalil called out Columbia University for its 'hypocrisy.' Michael Nigro 5 Khalil was flanked by his wife, who gave birth to their son while he was in detention. Michael Nigro Advertisement While spirits were high at the homecoming, Khalil was quick to note that his release was not the end of their fight. 'My being here today is sweet but it is not a victory,' he said. While Khalil has been released from detention, there is still an order for his deportation from an immigration judge that his team continues to fight. The Trump administration is also trying to appeal the release order. Khalil was held at an ICE detention center in Louisiana after the Trump administration deemed that he posed a significant threat to US foreign policy relations with Israel and the Middle East. After requesting his release, a judge found that his detention was likely unconstitutional and unjust. He was freed on Friday after 104 days locked up. Khalil is a permanent resident with a green card, who is married to a US citizen and, now, a father to a son born in the US.
