{"id":2208949,"date":"2024-03-29T08:08:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-29T12:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-agency-faces-lawsuit-for-hiding-records-asking-israel-to-stand-down-after-hamas-attack\/"},"modified":"2024-03-29T08:12:46","modified_gmt":"2024-03-29T12:12:46","slug":"biden-agency-faces-lawsuit-for-hiding-records-asking-israel-to-stand-down-after-hamas-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-agency-faces-lawsuit-for-hiding-records-asking-israel-to-stand-down-after-hamas-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden administration agency sued for concealing records on request for Israel to stand down post-Hamas attack"},"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\">32<\/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%2Fbiden-agency-faces-lawsuit-for-hiding-records-asking-israel-to-stand-down-after-hamas-attack%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=2208949&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--><p>The Biden administration faces \u2063a lawsuit for withholding records related to a Palestinian\u200d agency&#8217;s social\u2064 media post urging Israel not to retaliate against Hamas. The Office of Palestinian Affairs, under scrutiny for\u2063 its request for all \u200bsides to\u2062 refrain from violence, is now \u200ca subject of \u2062investigation regarding its communications and organizational structure. The Biden administration is being sued for failing to \u200cdisclose documents concerning a Palestinian agency\u2019s \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald Trump\">social media post<\/a> that\u200c advised Israel not to retaliate against Hamas. The Office of Palestinian Affairs, criticized for its call\u200d for peace, is now under investigation regarding its internal \u200dcommunications and organizational setup.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE <\/strong>\u2014 The Biden administration is being accused in court of withholding internal records pertaining to a top Palestinian agency\u2019s widely mocked <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2436102\/us-office-of-palestinian-affairs-deleted-post-suggesting-israel-refrain-from-violence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>social media post<\/a> last year that urged Israel not to retaliate against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hamas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Hamas<\/a>, according to a complaint.<\/p>\n<p>The State Department-<a href=\"https:\/\/palestinianaffairs.state.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>housed<\/a> Office of Palestinian Affairs came under widespread scrutiny for asking \u201call sides to refrain from violence and retaliatory attacks\u201d in an X post as Hamas terrorists raped, murdered, and kidnapped Israelis in the Jewish state on Oct. 7. Now, a nonpartisan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/watchdog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>watchdog<\/a> is suing the State Department to unearth the OPA\u2019s communications surrounding this post, as well as more information about its organizational structure that the outside group says is shielded from its website, the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> has learned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sure the OPA would like to forget tweeting that while the Israelis were still sorting through the carnage, and the Israel Defense Forces was still fighting pockets of terrorists in Southern Israel,\u201d said James Fitzpatrick, director of the Center to Advance Security in America, which filed the complaint on Monday. \u201cBut the law doesn\u2019t allow OPA that choice, and ignoring lawful Freedom of Information Act requests just leaves people to wonder if the State Department is hiding something far worse than an ignorant tweet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit comes as the Biden administration has landed itself in a tough spot on Israel. It has attempted to thread the needle between supporting a key ally and not alienating Jewish Americans, while also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/national-security\/biden-increases-criticism-israel-gaza-still-provides-military-aid-rcna141775\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>catering to<\/a> the left-wing <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/biden-gaza-protest-hamas-michigan-election-5bf3f88529d625a129e786bab29c4fde\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>base<\/a> in the Democratic Party accusing the Israelis of genocide in Gaza and protesting in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/victory-for-hamas-members-of-congress-slam-biden-admin-for-allowing-un-resolution-passage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>support<\/a> of a ceasefire. The Jerusalem-based OPA was previously called the Palestinian Affairs Unit and was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2022\/jun\/09\/us-palestinian-mission-renamed-and-now-reports-directly-to-washington\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>launched<\/a> in 2022 after President Joe Biden restarted Palestinian aid. The Trump administration cut off the aid over concerns about the United Nations Relief and Works Agency\u2019s history of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2574627\/un-agency-staff-celebrated-and-justified-hamas-attack-on-israel-watchdog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>antisemitism<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2709957\/un-palestinian-aid-offices-hamas-ties-under-fire-after-oct-7-attack-against-israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>ties to terrorism<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>OPA Chief George Noll, a longtime State Department diplomat, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2022\/06\/09\/palestinian-office-jerusalem-state-trump-reversal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> upon the office\u2019s 2022 launch that it \u201coperates under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, and reports on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-takes-major-step-to-roll-back-trumps-jerusalem-embassy-move\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Takes Major Step To Roll Back Trump\u2019s Jerusalem Embassy Move\">substantive matters directly<\/a> to the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau in the State Department.\u201d The office is \u201cfocused on engagement with and outreach to the Palestinians,\u201d another State Department official said at the time. The scope of what the OPA actually works on is not entirely clear, but it has posted <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USPalAffairs\/status\/1769794983249223768\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>images<\/a> on social media of Noll <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/liveblog_entry\/senior-us-official-visits-site-of-razed-east-jerusalem-palestinians-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>meeting<\/a> with leaders in Palestinian territories and also shares images of Secretary of State Antony Blinken\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USPalAffairs\/status\/1713513767961604397\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>visits<\/a> with foreign officials.<\/p>\n<p>To the Center to Advance Security in America, the State Department-housed agency seems to have disclosed very little about its operations and employees. The watchdog group sent a records request on Oct. 30, 2023, requesting \u201ca detailed organizational staff chart\u201d for the OPA and seniority levels for its federal employees.<\/p>\n<p>CASA asked the agency to turn over all \u201cmeeting requests, calendar entries, virtual meeting invitations, call logs, and any chats\u201d on platforms related to its controversial Oct. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blue-city-mayor-has-his-car-stolen-for-the-second-time\/\" title=\"Blue City Mayor's Car Stolen Again\">7 social media post<\/a> that the OPA later deleted, documents show. The watchdog also asked for the agency\u2019s communications with media outlets, including the <em>New York Times<\/em>, NBC News, and ABC News, on the post, and exchanges between Blinken and other top officials with phrases such as \u201cceasefire,\u201d \u201cviolence,\u201d and \u201cHamas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, the State Department \u201chas not fulfilled its statutory obligations under FOIA\u201d in connection to the requests and \u201cappears unwilling to do so absent litigation,\u201d CASA argued in the complaint.<\/p>\n<p>The group led by Fitzpatrick, an Army veteran and former Labor Department employee, said in the complaint that the State Department went \u201csilent\u201d over the request. In the eyes of CASA, the release of the information \u201cis in the public interest because it will help the public understand whether the U.S. government is appropriately using taxpayer resources to keep Americans safe,\u201d according to the complaint.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe department has not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-sued-for-keeping-top-officials-ethics-waivers-a-secret\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Sued For Keeping Top Officials\u2019 Ethics Waivers A Secret\">produced responsive documents<\/a> to plaintiff, has not communicated to plaintiff the scope of the documents it intends to produce or withhold \u2014 along with the reasons for any such withholding \u2014 and has not informed plaintiff of its ability to appeal any adverse portion of its determination,\u201d CASA argued in the complaint.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough the department\u2019s failure to make a determination within the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/squatter-granted-ownership-of-old-mans-house-sells-it-for-more-than-half-a-million-while-the-elder-lives-on-paltry-pension\/\" title=\"Squatter gains ownership of elderly man's house, sells it for over 0K as the senior survives on meager pension\">time period required<\/a> by law, CASA has constructively exhausted its administrative remedies and seeks immediate judicial review,\u201d the group said in the complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by the Dhillon Law Group.<\/p>\n<p>The OPA did not return a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In an exclusive development, the Biden administration faces accusations in court for withholding internal records related to a Palestinian agency&#8217;s social media post urging Israel not to retaliate against Hamas. The Office of Palestinian Affairs, housed in the State Department, drew criticism for its request for all sides to stand down<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2208950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP24081684854701-1024x681.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2208949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP24081684854701-1024x681.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2208949","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\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2208949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2208949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2208950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2208949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2208949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2208949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}