The unchecked “material support” saw a non-profit organization face a lawsuit over a rescued Israeli hostage as the man's former captor appeared to have been “ultimately subsidized … by taxpayers of the United States.”
After more than nine months, it would seem bad enough that President Joe Biden's administration was unable to bring home eight American hostages who were reportedly still being held by Hamas. It got worse, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Western District of Washington state, as one of the four Israeli hostages rescued in early June challenged the tax-exempt status of the organization that allegedly funded his captivity
On June 8, it was reported that along with Noa Argamani, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv, Amlog Meir Jan had been rescued by the Israel Defense Forces while he and the other men were being held at the home of The Palestine Chronicle contributor Abdallah Aljamal
The lawsuit filed by Jan's attorney, National Jewish Advocacy Center director Mark Goldfelder, questioned the 501(c)(3) status of the non-profit People Media Project behind the Chronicle, stating: “Under the leadership of the defendants. [editor-in-chief] Ramzy Baroud and [People Media Project governor] John Harvey, the accused Palestine Chronicle employed Hamas operative Aljamal and offered him his American platform to write and spread Hamas propaganda, ultimately subsidized by his tax-exempt charitable status , by American taxpayers.
No, American nonprofits cannot fund the salaries of Hamas members who are being held hostage. Answer Part 2. https://t.co/yEKnnib0ad pic.twitter.com/omHkh4suNO
— Mark Goldfeder (@MarkGoldfeder) July 9, 2024
“Following the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks, while Hamas operative Aljamal was imprisoning the plaintiff, Defendants allowed Hamas operative Aljamal to use their platform to whitewash Hamas's crimes and attract international support for to his terrorist cause,” the archive details.
“By providing this platform to the Hamas Aljamal operative and compensating the Hamas Aljamal operative for its propaganda,” he continued, “the defendants aided, abetted, and provided material support to both the Hamas Aljamal operative and the Hamas itself in its acts of terrorism, including the kidnapping and hostage-taking of the plaintiff for 246 days, in violation of international law.
Earlier, a letter sent by Goldfelder and law partner Jason Torchinsky to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Assistant Attorney General Lisa Monaco and FBI Director Christopher Wray called for an investigation by The Palestine Chronicle.
They noted that since the People Media Project's initial filing for tax-exempt status in 2012, they had filed “postcard returns” and thus their “operations remain largely opaque to the public ” and recalled that the penalty for knowingly supporting terrorists included up to 20 years in prison, or life if a terrorist's victim died.
“We brought this lawsuit against the Palestine Chronicle and its directors because they knowingly supported a Hamas operative who was holding our client hostage in his home,” Goldfelder said. Fox News Digital. “We look forward to seeking justice in federal court for our client.”
In addition to the lawsuit, New York Rep. Mike Lawler (Dr.) spoke to Fox News Digital after the rescue, commenting, “Obviously, it's disturbing, but to find out that a 'journalist' engaged in the retention of 'hostages is deeply troubling. And that is why my colleagues and I have called for the 501(c)(3) status to be revoked and to make sure that, like the United States, the U.S. government and taxpayers we are not giving benefits, in any way, to entities or organizations affiliated with terrorism”.
We cannot stand idly by and let “journalists” hold innocent Israeli civilians hostage with impunity: the People's Media Project must, at the very least, revoke its non-profit status from IRS pic.twitter.com/ZH9oLDk0HU
— Mike Lawler (@lawler4ny) June 26, 2024
He openly called for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the Biden administration to revoke the nonprofit's tax-exempt status.
Meanwhile, Tuesday saw Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines admitting that Hamas, which was sympathetic to the protests in the United States, had in some cases received financial support from Iran.
“In recent weeks, Iranian government actors have sought to opportunistically take advantage of the ongoing protests regarding the war in Gaza, using a playbook that we've seen other actors use over the years,” Haines said. . “We have observed actors linked to the government of Iran masquerading as activists online, attempting to foment protests and even providing financial support to protesters.”
“I want to be clear that I know that the Americans participating in the protests are, in good faith, expressing their views about the conflict in Gaza; this information does not indicate otherwise. Furthermore, the freedom to express diverse views, when done peacefully, it is essential to our democracy, but it is also important to warn against foreign actors who seek to exploit our debate for their own purposes,” he continued. “Furthermore, Americans who are being targeted by this Iranian campaign may not be aware that they are interacting with or receiving support from a foreign government. We urge all Americans to remain vigilant while engage online with accounts and actors they don't know personally.”
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