US, 'Israel' allow tax-deductible funds to settlers blocking Gaza aid
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Investigations by The Associated Press and the Israeli investigative site Shomrim have raised over $200,000 from American and Israeli donors.
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Israeli settlers stand in front of trucks carrying humanitarian aid as they try to stop them from entering the Gaza Strip in an area near the Kerem Shalom border crossing, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP)
Both the United States and "Israel" have permitted tax-deductible donations to Israeli far-right groups that have obstructed the delivery of much-needed aid to Gaza, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
"Israel" claimed it was committed to delivering substantial humanitarian aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip after the United States seemingly put pressure on it.
But investigations by The Associated Press and the Israeli investigative site Shomrim have revealed that three groups, which have actively blocked aid to Gaza and even destroyed supplies, have raised over $200,000 from American and Israeli donors, which contradicts the two sides' commitments to ensure the unrestricted flow of food, water, and medicine into Gaza.
The report pointed out that donations have persisted despite US sanctions against one of these groups.
Tania Hary, executive director of Gisha, an Israeli nonprofit advocating for better conditions in Gaza, stressed that "Israel" was displaying a "lack of coherence" in its Gaza aid policy by not cracking down on these groups.
"If you’re on the one hand saying you’re allowing aid in but then also facilitating the actions of groups that are blocking it, can you really say you’re facilitating aid?" she added.
The Associated Press said the US State Department reiterated its commitment to ensuring aid delivery but did not comment on the fundraising by far-right groups.
The Israeli occupation entity claims that it does not restrict humanitarian aid to Gaza and blames the United Nations for failing to distribute it effectively.
On their part, the UN and aid groups have maintained that aid deliveries have been consistently obstructed by military operations, instability within Gaza, and delays in Israeli inspections.
The three Israeli far-right groups identified by The Associated Press and Shomrim have impeded aid deliveries either by causing traffic congestion or physically blocking the main Karem Abu Salem crossing into Gaza.
The report revealed that these groups have received indirect support from some Israeli leaders, including Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has advocated for blocking aid shipments to Gaza.
According to the findings, one of the groups, Mother’s March, has raised over $125,000 through Givechack, an Israeli crowdfunding platform. Additionally, the group collected around $13,000 via JGive, a crowdfunding site operating in both the US and "Israel", where donations to "charitable organizations" are tax-deductible.
The report noted that Mother’s March does not raise funds directly but collaborates with an allied group called Torat Lechima, which raises funds on its behalf via JGive in the US. The group's head, Sima Hasson, was briefly detained by Israeli police in January after temporarily blocking aid trucks.
Torat Lechima is active in Israeli nationalist circles and aims to "strengthen the Jewish identity and fighting spirit" among Israeli soldiers, its website points out.
Until it was sanctioned last month, a third group, Tzav 9, raised over $85,000 from nearly 1,500 donors in the US and "Israel" via JGive.
JGive claimed that donations made to Tzav 9 were frozen even before the sanctions were imposed and were not delivered to the group.
The White House has accused in its sanctions order Tzav 9 of violently blocking roads, damaging aid trucks, and dumping supplies on the road.
It said that Tzav 9 members in May looted and set fire to two trucks in the occupied West Bank carrying aid destined for the Gaza Strip.
It is noteworthy that over 80% of Gaza's population is now displaced, and international officials warn that hundreds of thousands are on the brink of famine.
Last week, the White House sanctioned the group’s co-founders.
However, The Associated Press cited extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank as saying that similar US sanctions had minimal impact, partly because Israeli leaders helped circumvent them, which puts the effectiveness of these sanctions in doubt.
Hary, Gisha's executive director mentioned that the activities of Mother’s March and Tzav 9 have quieted down recently, but as they continue to seek donors, they could resume at any moment.
"They’re getting signals from various places in the government that Gaza should be completely cut off," she warned.
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