{"id":2063782,"date":"2023-10-11T16:39:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T20:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-taxpayers-sent-more-than-400-million-to-gaza-since-hamas-takeover\/"},"modified":"2023-10-11T16:41:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T20:41:40","slug":"u-s-taxpayers-sent-more-than-400-million-to-gaza-since-hamas-takeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-taxpayers-sent-more-than-400-million-to-gaza-since-hamas-takeover\/","title":{"rendered":"Over $400 million sent to Gaza by U.S. taxpayers since Hamas takeover."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fu-s-taxpayers-sent-more-than-400-million-to-gaza-since-hamas-takeover%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2063782&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The United States&#8217; Investment in Gaza Strip Development Projects<\/h2>\n<p>The United States has allocated over $400\u2062 million \u2062in taxpayer funds for development projects in the \u2063Gaza Strip since Hamas gained control of the territory in 2007, according to government funding documents.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the State Department&#8217;s humanitarian arm, has reported \u200cspending approximately $400 million \u200bon various development projects in the Hamas-controlled territory since 2009.<\/p>\n<p>This funding has gained\u200b renewed significance following Hamas&#8217; recent surprise attack on Israel, resulting in numerous casualties. While USAID claims the money is intended for humanitarian \u2064assistance, lawmakers \u200dand analysts have long\u2063 warned that these investments could be misappropriated by Hamas to support its terrorism campaign against Israel. Due to Hamas&#8217; strict control over the territory, aid\u200b groups must operate within its confines.<\/p>\n<p>Since President Joe Biden \u200btook office in 2021, the United\u2062 States has significantly increased \u2064its financial support to the Palestinian \u2064territories, including the Gaza\u200b Strip. \u2064In that year alone, America spent &#8220;at least $5.5\u200d million \u2063in Gaza&#8221; \u2063on cash assistance and healthcare programs. Additionally, the U.S. donated $90 million to a United Nations organization operating in \u2062the area, according to the Associated Press.<\/p>\n<p>In mid-2022, \u2063the Biden administration announced an\u2063 additional $316 million aid\u2062 package \u200bfor the Palestinians, which includes projects in \u2062the Gaza Strip such as the construction of 4G wireless networks.<\/p>\n<h3>Future Investments<\/h3>\n<p>Between 2021 and 2024, the \u200dBiden administration plans to allocate &#8220;over $500 million in programming to support the Palestinian people,&#8221; including those in Gaza, according to separate USAID funding documents. This funding will\u200d cover various <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-taxpayers-sent-more-than-400-million-to-gaza-since-hamas-takeover\/\" title=\"Over 0 million sent to Gaza by U.S. taxpayers since Hamas takeover.\">aid projects targeting vulnerable \u200dpopulations<\/a>, as well as wastewater management programs \u200cin both the West Bank and Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the administration has set aside up to $250 million over five years to \u200bpromote peaceful coexistence between Israelis \u200dand Palestinians, with the aim of facilitating \u2062a sustainable two-state solution.<\/p>\n<p>It remains \u2064unclear how much\u2064 of this funding has\u2062 been directly allocated to the Gaza Strip, as USAID has not provided specific breakdowns of the expenditures.<\/p>\n<p>Despite private concerns\u200d within the State\u200c Department that aid\u2064 dollars could be misused by Hamas and other terrorist groups, \u200bthe allocation\u2063 of funds proceeded. The \u2062 <em>Washington Free Beacon<\/em> reported earlier this year \u200cthat State Department officials pursued a sanctions waiver to bypass anti-terrorism measures and provide aid to the\u200d Palestinian territories.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We assess there is a high risk Hamas could\u200c potentially derive indirect, unintentional benefit from U.S.\u2062 assistance\u2063 to Gaza. There is less but still some risk U.S. assistance\u200c would benefit other designated groups,&#8221; \u200bstated a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-raised-concerns-palestinian-aid-would-boost-hamas-it-went-ahead-with-aid-anyway\/\" title=\"Despite concerns about Hamas, the Biden administration proceeded with Palestinian aid.\">draft sanctions exemption request circulated internally<\/a> in March 2021. &#8220;Notwithstanding this risk, State \u2063believes \u2064it is in our national security interest to provide assistance in the \u200dWest Bank and Gaza to support the foreign policy objectives.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>At the time, the State Department publicly downplayed\u200d concerns about aid being misappropriated\u200c by Hamas.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What \u2064are the potential criticisms and concerns related to the allocation of funds for development projects\u200c in the Gaza\u2064 Strip?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ed Press.<\/p>\n<p>These investments \u2063are part of the United States&#8217; broader commitment to supporting the development and welfare of the Palestinian people. The aim is to provide assistance\u2062 and promote stability in the region, \u200dthereby contributing to the overall peace process between Israel and Palestine.<\/p>\n<p>However, the decision to allocate funds to\u2064 Gaza Strip development \u200dprojects has been met with\u2062 criticism and concern. Critics argue that such investments could inadvertently support Hamas&#8217; terrorist activities, as the group maintains a tight grip on the territory. They point to \u2062instances where Hamas \u2064has misused international aid for its own purposes, including the construction of tunnels and the procurement of \u2062weapons.<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers have been vocal \u200babout\u2063 their anxieties regarding\u200d the potential misuse of taxpayer funds. They stress\u200b that any aid provided to\u200b Gaza must be closely monitored to ensure it reaches \u2064the intended beneficiaries \u2064and is not diverted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pressure-mounts-on-biden-admin-to-put-the-brakes-on-6-billion-payment-to-iran\/\" title=\"Calls grow for Biden admin to halt B payment to Iran.\">support terrorist activities<\/a>. Efforts to strengthen oversight and accountability mechanisms\u200d have been called for to\u2064 prevent these funds from falling\u200c into the wrong hands.<\/p>\n<p>Proponents of the investment argue that withholding assistance would only further exacerbate the\u200c humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They emphasize that the funds are directed towards critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and \u200cinfrastructure development, all of which are essential for improving the lives \u200cof Gazans. They \u200dalso underscore that investing in the development of the region can help \u2064alleviate the root causes of violence and extremism, contributing to long-term peace and stability.<\/p>\n<p>To address concerns about misuse,\u200c the U.S. government, through USAID, implements rigorous monitoring and evaluation processes to ensure the proper utilization of funds. Additionally, cooperation and coordination \u2064with relevant local authorities, international organizations, \u200dand non-governmental \u200borganizations are crucial to ensuring effective project\u2062 implementation and\u2064 oversight.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200crecent\u2064 escalation of \u200dviolence in the region has underscored the urgency of finding a lasting\u2063 solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The United States remains committed\u200c to supporting all parties involved and\u2063 working towards a peaceful \u200cresolution. In\u200c this\u200b context, the investment in development projects in the Gaza Strip is seen as part of a comprehensive approach to\u2063 address the complex challenges in the region.<\/p>\n<p>Moving forward, it\u2064 is important for the United States to \u200dcontinue evaluating \u200bthe\u2064 impact and effectiveness of its assistance programs in \u200cthe Gaza \u200bStrip. Transparency, accountability, and a focus on the\u2064 well-being of the Palestinian people should remain at \u200cthe forefront of these efforts. By investing in the development of \u2062the Gaza Strip, \u200bthe United States aims to contribute to lasting peace and prosperity\u200d for both Israelis and \u2062Palestinians.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gaza Strip since 2007. The funds were provided by the United States and managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":2063783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2063782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2063782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063782\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2063783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2063782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2063782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2063782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}