Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the town of Al-Qlailah, Southern Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli drone strikes town of Harouf, Nabatieh district.
Factions' statement: The attendees agreed to support and continue implementing the ceasefire agreement measures, including the withdrawal of the occupation and lifting the siege.
Factions' statement: Calling for an end to all forms of torture and violations against prisoners in occupation prisons and the necessity of obligating the occupation to do so.
Statement: The current moment is crucial, making the meeting a true turning point toward national unity in defense of our people and their right to life, dignity, and freedom.
Factions' statement: Call for an urgent meeting of all Palestinian forces and factions to agree on a national strategy.
Factions' statement: Continuing joint work to unify visions and positions to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause.
Statement of the factions: Emphasis on the unity of the Palestinian political system and the independent national decision.
Statement: Approval to establish an international committee to oversee the financing and implementation of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Statement: The committee is responsible for managing life and services in cooperation with Arab brothers and international institutions, based on transparency and accountability.

How 'Israel' targets critics with baseless terrorism allegations: RS

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Responsible Statecraft
  • 12 May 2025 09:07
  • 3 Shares
4 Min Read

Former US official Josh Paul exposes how "Israel" weaponizes terrorism allegations to silence Palestinian civil society, discredit critics, and pressure institutions from Gaza to New York, often without evidence.

Listen
  • x
  • Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian woman during an arrest raid, in the village of Yabad near the West Bank city of Jenin, Tuesday, May. 12, 2020. (AP)
    Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian woman during a raid in the village of Ya'bad near the West Bank city of Jenin, Tuesday, May 12, 2020. (AP)

Josh Paul, a former senior official at the US State Department, has revealed findings from a previously unpublished report that illustrates how "Israel" strategically uses terrorism allegations to discredit critics and derail diplomacy, particularly regarding Gaza and broader Palestinian civil society.

Paul resigned in protest over US arms transfers to "Israel" amid the war on Gaza. His recent disclosures, published by Responsible Statecraft, shed light on a long-standing pattern. “Human rights activists in Jerusalem, humanitarian aid workers in Gaza, and college students in New York,” he writes, “all purportedly have links to terrorism,” according to "Israel" and its influence networks. The allegations, he argues, are often baseless but serve a calculated purpose, to smear and isolate those who challenge "Israel’s" political agenda.

The Jenin Revolving Door report: What it revealed

Paul first encountered this tactic in 2008 while working with the US Security Coordinator (USSC) in the occupied West Bank. At the time, "Israel" claimed that the Palestinian Authority (PA) was failing to "detain terrorism suspects," impeding US-backed peace efforts. Despite observable improvements in the PA’s security operations, "Israel" continued to accuse it of maintaining a so-called “revolving door” justice system.

To investigate these claims, Paul led the drafting of The Jenin Revolving Door Report, co-authored with a UK police official and a Canadian military officer. Recently released with minor redactions, the report found little to substantiate "Israel's" accusations.

While the report acknowledged that Palestinian law was vague and its justice system under-resourced, it sharply criticized the nature and quality of "Israel’s" claims. “These lists… commonly lack any evidence to substantiate the validity of the targets,” it stated. In some cases, the individuals named were already deceased. The PA, it added, “cannot simply arrest and administratively detain persons because Israel wants it done; it has processes it must follow… with international human rights and legal best practice.”

Related News

Pro-Palestine protester disrupts finish at Tour de France

Digital apartheid? Report exposes anti-Palestine social media bias

'Israel’s' use of intelligence without evidence

Paul draws a crucial distinction: “Intelligence… is not evidence, and is often wrong.” He contends that "Israel" often demands that its claims be accepted without proof. “In the experience of the US Security Coordinator at the time I served in it, Israel’s lists were often flawed and inaccurate.”

The report also highlights a double standard. While "Israel" criticized the PA for releasing detainees, it regularly engaged in similar practices. “Israel does not try every Palestinian it detains… arrests and detentions form a regular part of intelligence gathering activities… and are often thought to be more pre-emptive or deterrent than they are reactive to specific threats.”

In 2022, "Israel" designated six leading Palestinian civil society organizations as "terror-linked entities," alleging ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). One of these groups, Defense for Children International–Palestine (DCIP), was raided just after the US acknowledged the credibility of its report on the sexual abuse of a child in Israeli detention.

Although several Western governments initially severed ties with these groups, most quietly restored them after "Israel" failed to provide conclusive evidence.

From UNRWA to US campuses: A pattern of allegations

This strategy has expanded to international institutions. In early 2024, "Israel" accused 108 UNRWA employees in Gaza of links to Hamas’ armed wing. Despite UNRWA's stated commitment to internal investigations, no supporting evidence has been submitted. “UNRWA has been unable to substantiate those accusations,” Paul notes, adding that “Israel has not provided any further evidence.”

Even US academic institutions have become targets. In March, a legal filing accused Columbia University’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter of having foreknowledge of Hamas’ October 7 operation, based solely on a captive’s account of what he was allegedly told by his captors. “Why would Hamas leaders alert some college students in New York?” Paul asks. “Regardless of the accusation’s merit, the reputational damage to SJP is done.”

Paul warns that allegations without evidence should not be accepted at face value. “There is often less than meets the eye” when it comes to "Israeli" claims, he writes. He urges targeted individuals and organizations to “demand substantive evidence.” And if "Israel" cannot or will not provide it, he concludes, “it should be ignored.”

Read next: Ex-State Dept. officials confirm US bombs used against Gaza children

  • Pro-Palestine stance
  • crackdown on dissent
  • Israel
  • Gaza genocide
  • Israeli occupation
  • terrorism allegations

Most Read

From previous scenes of the Qassam Brigades targeting an Israeli D9 bulldozer with a Yassin 105 shell, east of Deir al-Balah. (Military Media of the Qassam Brigades)

US knew fatal Rafah blast cause was not Hamas op., says journalist

  • Politics
  • 20 Oct 2025
'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Undated photo of Hanwha Ocean’s Goeje Shipyard in South Korea (Hanwha Ocean)
Politics

China counters US maritime bloc with sanctions on Hanwha Ocean

Catherine Connolly speaks after being after being elected as the new President of Ireland at Dublin Castle, Ireland, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Connolly wins Irish presidency in blow to political establishment

Buildings destroyed during the Israeli air and ground offensive are seen in the Al-Shati camp, in Gaza City, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP)
Politics

'Israel's' post-ceasefire demolitions in Gaza violate agreement: Hamas

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends the 17th annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 7, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran’s Araghchi: Our nuclear bomb is resilience, not weapons

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS