The Insitute for Research: Middle East Policy is alleging that upwards of $50 billion of U.S. funds are going to the landgrab on the West Bank, the "illegal colonization of the West Bank." And the money is being "laundered," in asmuch as the gifts are considered charitable contributions, and tax-deductible. Says IRMEP of its earlier report on the matter: "The report reveals how violence, land theft, and hopelessness generated by nonprofit money laundering fuels terrorism blowback against the United States."
IRMEP is seeking an IRS investigation of same. I hope there's a congressional investigation of these gifts. Myself I am not sure just what are the legal aspects of the American money going to the West Bank colonies. The argument that it is fueling terrorism "blowback" gains some support from the 9/11 attacks. But the central issue here is that these colonies are wrong, confiscatory and are utterly frustrating American policy, which I thought was the 2-state solution. Let's see if IRMEP's continued push for investigation pays off.
P.S. Richard Silverstein was unable to post the following comment, I'm doing it for him:
âThis is ridiculous. Look, is it horrible that settlements are supported by American Jews who receive a tax deduction? Sure. But where in God's name do they come up w. $50-60 billion? I looked through the linked article & found a few dollar amts. listed but they don't come anywhere close to $50-60 billion. I think we do ourselves & our cause a great disservice when we sling wild-eyed accusations around w/o basing them on hard, cold verifiable facts. I couldn't find many.â
Madoff clients have been up to this laundering behalf Israel at USA tax payer expense up to their eyeballs. The funnel of poor American Gentile funds to Israel, and more important, to the universally acclaimed illegal settlements, which are against official USA policy, and the drain goes to including direct support of the IDF soldiers, go by a thousand names none of them mentioning the key purpose, and indeed, sending truth seekers off on a dead trail. There is much evidence of this right on the internet, but nothing in the MSM.
But what do you expect? Most of the Homeland Security grants go to the Jewish American community as they are deemed to be more
at risk, despite the number of goys versus jews that died in 9/11.
And now, we have a Jewish American lady, a long drinker at the trough of US Army reserve, at the highest enlisted rank, suing not to be sent to Iraq like the common militia who also put in a few weeks in summer camp for their pay–why? She says she's a jew, and therefore more at risk–the same reason most of the Homeland Security grants have gone to the Jewish community here at home.
FROM ABOVE: " Let's see if IRMEP's continued push for investigation pays off."
ME: fat chance!
ME: fat chance!
John, your skepticism is understandable and you may be right, it could be just another fake , half hearted feint that diffuses genuine concern.
But I prefer to adopt a more optimistic outlook.
Frankly, I am amazed that the funding of illegal settlements, which makes a mockery of overt peace initiatives, has be getting an airing lately after years of everyone turning a blind eye to it.
Congratulations to the organisations that are trying to get the issue on the table.
With a bit of luck it will snowball into the consciousness of the body politic.
I agree with moonkoon on this one. The level of public discussion may be pathetic measured against any standard that accounts for the centrality of the I/P issue in American national security, but it is orders of magnitude greater than what it has ever been in my lifetime. I like the snowball analogy, there is definitely forward progress being made. Here's to hoping for a blizzard :raises tankard of stout:, and at long last, our nation at peace.
We were warned…a long time ago…about exactly what has happened now in the US.
Geo Washington Farewell Address 1776
"So likewise, a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification. It leads also to concessions to the favorite nation of privileges denied to others which is apt doubly to injure the nation making the concessions; by unnecessarily parting with what ought to have been retained, and by exciting jealousy, ill-will, and a disposition to retaliate, in the parties from whom equal privileges are withheld.
And it gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation), facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country, without odium, sometimes even with popularity; gilding, with the appearances of a virtuous sense of obligation, a commendable deference for public opinion, or a laudable zeal for public good, the base or foolish compliances of ambition, corruption, or infatuation. "
Let's repeat this part again……..>>>>>
"And it gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation), facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country, without odium, sometimes even with popularity; gilding, with the appearances of a virtuous sense of obligation, a commendable deference for public opinion, or a laudable zeal for public good, the base or foolish compliances of ambition, corruption, or infatuation. "……>>>>>>>>>>>>> because THIS! is the bottom line in the US-Israeli deal and the survival of America.
This is ridiculous. Look, is it horrible that settlements are supported by American Jews who receive a tax deduction? Sure. But where in God's name do they come up w. $50-60 billion? I looked through the linked article & found a few dollar amts. listed but they don't come anywhere close to $50-60 billion.
I think we do ourselves & our cause a great disservice when we sling wild-eyed accusations around w/o basing them on hard, cold verifiable facts. I couldn't find many.
The precise amounts are irrelevant. The organization at the heart of the money laundering, the Jewish Agency, back in the 1960's laundered $5 million (about $35 million equivalent) in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act into the US to lobby and build grassroots support. That was all the Senate Foreign Relations Committee could find, but it was probably much, much more. Nevertheless, it was enough for the then uncompromised DOJ to try to shut it all down:
http://www.irmep.org/ila/AZCDOJ/default.asp
8/14/2005 USA Today put the estimated laundering figures at $50-$60 billion, or $208K-$250K per settlerânot much if you're counting roads, schools, commercial infrastructure, much of it built on illegally confiscated land (according to the Sasson report). Colonization and creating "facts on the ground" is expensive.
The US Treasury Department could probably be *very specific* about exactly how much is flowing into these colonies, but they won't do it. In fact, if you formally inquire into any aspect of the problem via FOIA, they claim the Bank Secrecy Act protects them from disclosure.
http://www.irmep.org/ila/moneylaunder/fincen_foia/default.asp
It's a nice racket: Anti-Money laundering law protects the corrupt sheriff from revealing the exact scope of the problem. Victims are expected to wait.
So anyone who claims we should back off until we have an exact figure is being disingenuous. There's too much blow-back from this particular money laundering ring.