Tag Archive for Hillary Clinton

Phillip Pasmanick | November 27, 2012
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Americans in Israel Sue Clinton for American Funding of Palestinian Terror

2 dozen Americans in Israel are suing Hillary Clinton for negligence, relying on the basis that they are among those that Congress sought to protect through the safeguards & regulations that the White House, State Department and USAID are disregarding.

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

 

Two dozen Americans in Israel are suing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for negligence in allowing the United States to fund the Palestinian Authority, which used money for terror.

Terror-targeted bus (archive)

Terror-targeted bus (archive) – Flash 90

The suit was filed in a federal U.S. court in Washington by the Israel Law Center (Shurat HaDin), which has revolutionized the war against terror through “lawfare,” winning colossal lawsuits against terrorist organizations and banks that handle their funds.

The Federal suit alleges that the U.S. State Department violated the Anti-Terrorism Act, and abandoned Congressional safeguards, transparency and reporting requirements.

Clinton allegedly ignored congressional safeguards and transparency requirements attached to American aid to the Palestinian Authority, the Law Center stated.

The plaintiffs also claim that the White House has not been complying with the regulations and reporting obligations governing presidential waivers which facilitate emergency funding to the PA.

The United States Department of State, under the  Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act, is prohibited from providing “material support” to proscribed terrorist groups.

It is estimated that since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the United States State Department, via USAID, has given over $4 billion to PA Arabs, with portions of that funding illegally landing in the hands of terrorists. During the last four fiscal years, average aid has been roughly $600 million per year.

Additionally, the United States gives approximately $200 million to the United Nations body UNRWA each year, and during the fiscal years 2008 and 2009, UNRWA gave roughly $500 million of their funding to recipients in the West Bank and Gaza.

Under the Anti-Terrorism Act, the State Department is required to certify that the Palestinian government is committed to a peace co-existence with Israel before distributing funds, and ensure that no part of funding is used for Palestinian terrorism.

“As a result of this non-compliance, US funds have been flowing to terror groups like Hamas, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine\ (PFLP) and the Palestine Liberation Front,” the Israel Law center wrote.

The Americans in Israel filed the lawsuit, relying on the basis that they are among those that Congress sought to protect through the safeguards and regulations that the White House, State Department and USAID are disregarding.

USAID distributes funds for programs in the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations Refugee Worker’s Administration (UNRWA) in Gaza. Arutz Sheva previously disclosed evidence (here and here) that many of the programs are used to incite terror.

The suit asks the federal court to review the conduct of the State Department and the safeguards on funds, with an order to suspend future U.S. aid to the PA and UNRWA until the Obama administration complies with Congressionally legislated regulations.

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the director of  Israel Law Center, stressed that “once handed over, US funding of the PA and UNRWA is difficult to trace and the State Department has been lax in requiring the Palestinians to utilize bank accounts and other transfer methods that ensure transparency.”

The founder of the Israeli counter-terror group added that “elements of the US Government, particularly the State Department and USAID, are breaking the law and must cease all funding of the PA immediately. US aid to the Palestinians is killing innocent people.”

New York attorney Norman Steiner, who also is representing the plaintiffs, added, “The American people are opposed to terror and do not want to fund it via their taxes. The ongoing non-compliance of the White House and State Department with Congressionally mandated protections cannot be allowed to continue.”

 

View original Arutz Sheva publication at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162571#.ULSWw4Z1ktE

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Phillip Pasmanick | November 20, 2012
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U.S. Secretary of State: Our Commitment to Israel is Rock Solid

PM Netanyahu welcomed Sec. Clinton to Jerusalem & commented how Israel was fighting against terrorists who fire rockets against innocent civilians.

By Elad Benari

 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Israel on Tuesday night for meetings with officials, in an attempt to achieve a ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Gaza.

Hillary Clinton (archive)

Hillary Clinton – Flash 90

Clinton and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made statements to the press shortly before they met one on one.

Netanyahu welcomed Clinton to Jerusalem and noted that Israel was fighting against terrorists who fire barrages of rockets against innocent civilians.

“President Obama asked me to come to Israel with a very clear message. America’s commitment to Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering. That is why we believe it is essential to de-escalate the situation in Gaza,” Clinton said.

“We want to prevent an escalation in Gaza. Hamas’s fire on Israeli communities must stop and the solution must be a long-term one” which will maintain the security of Israeli citizens and Palestinian Authority Arab citizens, she added.

She praised Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi for taking an active role in trying to achieve a ceasefire. “We appreciate President Morsi’s leadership. As a regional leader, Egypt” has the opportunity to promote the ceasefire process, she noted.

Clinton mentioned the Iron Dome anti-missile system, which has been fundamental in saving the lives of Israelis during Gaza rocket attacks, and said that “our partnership [in funding Iron Dome] reflects our commitment to the security of Israel’s citizens and Israel’s right to defend itself, but no defense is complete and our hearts break when innocent civilians on both side are killed.”

In the days ahead, said Clinton, the U.S. will work with its partners to bring about a ceasefire in the region.

On Wednesday, Clinton will visit Ramallah and meet with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

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Phillip Pasmanick | July 26, 2012
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Clinton tells IOC: Hold memorial for Murdered Israeli Olympians

U.S. Sec. of St. joins int’l calls on Olympic Committee to honor slain Israeli athletes when games open on Friday • Athletes’ widows meet with chief to hand over petition, & call on spectators to stage silent protest at opening ceremony.

 

 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is calling on the International Olympic Committee to commemorate the massacre of 11 Israelis by Palestinian gunmen at the Munich Games in 1972 with a moment of silence at Friday’s opening ceremony of this year’s games in London.

Ankie Spitzer, widow of an Israeli Olympian killed by Palestinian gunmen in 1972 Munich Olympics: We are outraged, we are angry, we are sad.
Photo credit: AP

A senior State Department official said Wednesday that Clinton wrote to IOC President Jacques Rogge to ask the committee to hold an “appropriate memorial event” in London for the victims, after the committee repeatedly rejected such pleas from Israel and other bodies on the grounds that the opening ceremony “is an atmosphere that is not fit to remember such a tragic incident.”

Also Wednesday, the widows of two of the murdered Olympians met with Rogge to hand over a petition calling for a moment of silence, and urged spectators to stage a silent protest during Friday’s opening ceremony.

A diplomatic source familiar with the letter sent to Rogge on Tuesday said Clinton specifically urged the IOC to reverse its decision.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to describe the private correspondence.

Though Rogge has been steadfast in rejecting a moment of silence at the opening ceremony, the IOC was preparing to honor the 11 Israeli athletes and coaches killed in Munich at other events. Rogge participated in one such event on Monday.

In London, IOC spokesman Mark Adams confirmed receipt of Clinton’s letter and said his organization had responded without providing details of the response. But, he noted that the IOC was already “marking this moment — the blackest in the history of the Olympic movement in a number of ways.”

Clinton is the latest in a number of U.S. officials, including President Barack Obama, who have weighed in on the matter. Israel has been pushing the IOC for a moment of silence, as have political figures in Germany and Jewish groups around the world.

Ankie Spitzer and Ilana Romano, whose husbands were murdered in Munich, are in London to demand that organizers honor the memory of the 11 men at the Olympic Stadium 40 years after the terror attack.

The two women have asked audience members to stand in silence when Rogge rises to speak at Friday’s ceremony.

“They were not accidental tourists,” Spitzer told reporters Wednesday, her hoarse voice rising with indignation. “They came with dreams and came home in coffins.”

In 1972, Spitzer and her fencing coach husband, Andrei, had just had a daughter, Anouk, who is also pressing the fight for the silent protest. They say Andrei Spitzer was thrilled to be an Olympian and firmly believed in the higher goals of the games.

Romano, meanwhile, had had a bad feeling about her husband Yossef’s trip to the games. Romano, Israel’s middleweight weightlifting champion, had injured his knee and dropped out after the clean-and-jerk event. He was set to return to Israel on Sept. 6 for an operation.

Romano tried to escape during the siege. Although injured and using crutches, Romano lunged at one of his captors, slashing him with a paring knife and grabbing his gun. Another militant shot him, and he was left to bleed to death in front of his bound teammates.

The widows took their message to the public in a news conference Wednesday, saying they were tired of hearing about how the hands of the IOC were tied by protocol. They voiced hope that the committee would take notice and decide to act.

They were not moved by a tribute Monday at the athletes’ village, when Rogge in a surprise move led a solemn minute of silence. They were also not satisfied by the plan to honor the victims at a private reception in London on Aug. 6.

Adams defended the organization and Rogge, saying that the comittee recognized the deaths as a dark time for the Olympics.

“We are marking the moment in a number of ways that we think are the most appropriate,” Adams told The Associated Press. “The president made a moving speech in the village, there will be a ceremony next week in cooperation with the Israeli NOC where the president will speak, and we will mark the exact anniversary in Munich … The IOC will mark and will continue to mark the darkest moment in its history.”

The families flatly reject the official reasons they have been given over the years for why this cannot happen. At Montreal, they said they were told the reason was that the Arabs would leave. At Barcelona, it was about an unwillingness to bring politics to the games. At Atlanta, the reason was protocol. At Athens, organizers said it was not the appropriate time.

The widows have asked themselves: Would they have been facing similar problems if the slain athletes had been on the U.S. Dream Team? Or hailed from any other country?

“They came from the wrong country and the wrong religion,” Spitzer said at the news conference.

Now is the time, they say. And they promise that if the IOC keeps saying no, they will keep fighting, into the next generation if necessary. They met with Rogge later Wednesday to present the petition.

“We are outraged, we are angry, we are sad,” Spitzer said of Rogge’s refusal.

Romano and Spitzer say the years have only strengthened their resolve. They note that organizers in Vancouver held a moment of silence at the opening ceremony for Nodar Kumaritashvili, a Georgian luge athlete killed during a high-speed training run in Whistler just hours before the opening of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

The families say the circumstances may be different but the principle is the same. The Olympics should honor their own, the members of the so-called “Olympic family.” They say the Olympics are just not like anything else — they are about sportsmanship, peace and goodwill. And when the Israeli athletes were attacked, the entire Olympic movement was too.

“It is not just a competition,” Spitzer said. “It is an idea.”

Jewish organizations around the world were outraged by the IOC’s decision. Maccabi World Union President Giora Esrubilsky has written to the organization’s branches around the world and called on them to commemorate the massacre. More than 60 Maccabi branches and synagogues, including in the U.S., Finland, Australia, Argentina, South Africa and Hungary, will hold special prayers in memory of the 11 in addition to observing a minute’s silence.

View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=5188

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Phillip Pasmanick | July 16, 2012
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Egyptians throw tomatoes at Clinton’s motorcade

Anti-Islamist protesters threw tomatoes & shoes at U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s motorcade during her visit to Egypt. They accuse the U.S. of backing Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power • Clinton rejects claim that U.S. is taking sides in power struggle between ruling military council & the Brotherhood.

By Reuters

 

Protesters threw tomatoes and shoes at U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s motorcade on Sunday during her first visit to Egypt since the election of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

Seeing red: Protesters threw tomatoes and shouted “Monica” at Clinton prior to her meeting with Egyptian military chief Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi – Photo credit: Reuters

A tomato struck an Egyptian official in the face, and shoes and a water bottle landed near the armored cars carrying Clinton’s delegation in the port city of Alexandria after she gave a speech on democratic rights.

A senior U.S. official said neither Clinton nor her vehicle, which was around the corner from the incident, was hit by the projectiles, which were thrown as U.S. officials and reporters walked to the motorcade after her speech.

Protesters chanted “Monica, Monica,” a reference to the extra-marital affair conducted by Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, while in the White House. Others earlier chanted, “Leave, Clinton,” an Egyptian security official said.

It was not clear who the protesters were or what their political affiliations were. Demonstrations have become common in Egypt since former President Hosni Mubarak, long-time U.S. ally, was brought down by mass street protests last year.

Egypt is gripped by political uncertainty as two major forces, the military and the Muslim Brotherhood, engage in a power struggle over the future of a country that remains without a permanent constitution, parliament or government.

On Saturday night, protesters outside Clinton’s luxury hotel in Cairo chanted anti-Islamist slogans, accusing the U.S. of backing the Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power.

In her speech at the newly reopened U.S. consulate in Alexandria, Clinton rejected suggestions that the U.S., which had long supported Mubarak, was backing any faction in Egypt since his ousting.

“I want to be clear that the United States is not in the business, in Egypt, of choosing winners and losers, even if we could, which of course we cannot,” Clinton said. “We are prepared to work with you as you chart your course, as you establish your democracy. We want to stand for principles, for values, not for people or for parties.”

Earlier on Sunday, Clinton met Egypt’s top general, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, to discuss Egypt’s turbulent democratic transition as the military wrestles for influence with the new president.

The meeting came a day after she met Morsi, whose powers were clipped by the military days before he took office.

Morsi fired back by reinstating the Islamist-dominated parliament that the army leadership had disbanded after a court declared it void, deepening the stand-off before the new leader even had time to form a government.

In their hour-long meeting, Clinton and Tantawi discussed Egypt’s political transition, the military’s “ongoing dialogue with President Morsi,” and the country’s economic troubles, a U.S. official traveling with Clinton said in an email brief.

“Tantawi stressed that this is what Egyptians need most now — help getting the economy back on track,” the official said.

The talks also touched on the increasingly lawless Sinai region and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Clinton raised the possibility of launching an open dialogue between Morsi and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and she was expected to deliver her assessments on the issue when she meets with Netanyahu in Israel this week.

Speaking after the meeting with Clinton, Tantawi said the army respected the presidency but would not be deterred from its role of “protecting” Egypt.

“The armed forces and the army council respects legislative and executive authorities,” he said in a speech to troops in the city of Ismailia. “The armed forces would not allow anyone to discourage it from its role in protecting Egypt and its people.”

Ties with the U.S., which provides Egypt with an annual $1.3 billion in military aid, were strained this year when Egyptian judicial police raided the offices of several U.S.-backed non-governmental organizations on suspicion of illegal foreign funding, and put several Americans on trial.

The spat ended when Egyptian authorities allowed the U.S. citizens and other foreign workers to leave the country.

Clinton said Washington wanted to support “real democracy,” in which “no group or faction or leader can impose their will, their ideology, their religion, their desires on anyone else.”

She delivered a similar message in earlier meetings with women and Christians. Both groups that fear their rights may be curtailed under a Muslim Brotherhood-dominated government.

“I will be honest and say some have legitimate fears about their future,” she said. “I said to them … no Egyptian, no person anywhere, should be persecuted for their faith, or their lack of faith, for their choices about working and not working. Democracy is not just about reflecting the will of the majority. It is also about protecting the rights of the minority.”

Clinton said the U.S. had learned this “the hard way,” and that the U.S. constitution originally did not protect the rights of women or slaves.

 

View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=5071

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Phillip Pasmanick | June 13, 2012
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In joint appearance with Peres in Washington, Clinton condemns Syria for using attack helicopters to quash uprising

Secretary of State appeared alongside Israeli President at Washington event; Peres to raise issue of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard in a meeting with President Obama.

 

 

WASHINGTON – Israeli President Shimon Peres and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared on Tuesday at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, where they spoke about the escalating violence in Syria, the negotiations with Iran and the peace process with the Palestinians.

At the event, Clinton expressed deep concern over Russia’s reported shipment of attack helicopters to the Syrian regime. “Attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria will escalate the conflict quite dramatically,” she said.

Shimon Peres and Hilary Clinton.

Shimon Peres and Hilary Clinton - Photo by Natasha Mozgovaya

The event was held a day before Peres was scheduled to meet U.S. President Barack Obama – a meeting at which Peres promised to raise the issue of clemency for convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard “on humanitarian grounds.”

On Tuesday, two U.S. lawmakers circulated a “Dear Colleague” letter, expressing support for Peres’ bid for clemency. Pollard has spent more than 26years in a federal prison for passing classified information to Israeli officials.

Congressmen Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Christopher Smith (R-NJ), are behind the initiative. In a letter to Obama, the duo wrote: “Mr. Pollard has expressed remorse for his actions, and his health is reportedly declining – he has recently been hospitalized for kidney and gallstone problems. It is also clear that Mr. Pollard has served a disproportionately severe sentence. A number of people convicted of spying for other countries, ranging from the former Soviet Union to South Korea, have been given lighter sentences than Mr. Pollard. We would not expect that Mr. Pollard would be treated any better than anyone else who has committed similar acts, but we certainly do not believe he should be treated any worse.”

On the situation in Syria, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in briefing on Tuesday that the U.S. “has been pushing the Russians for months to break their military ties with the Syrian regime, and they haven’t done it.” Instead, she said,” they keep reassuring all of us that what they’re sending militarily to Syria can’t be used against civilians.

“But now what are we seeing? We’re seeing the Syrian government using helicopters to fire on their own people from the air. So our question remains, how can the Russians conscience their continued military sales to Syria?” asked Nuland.

Nevertheless, Clinton stressed that the U.S. still supports Kofi Annan’s plan. “We do so because he represents both the United Nations and the Arab League”, she said.

“It’s quite unprecedented to have a joint special envoy who is speaking for two organizations that have seen their common interests in trying to bring an end to the violence and help to precipitate and then shepherd through a political transition,” said Clinton.

“The six-point plan that former Secretary-General Annan laid out is a good plan. Of course, it’s not being implemented, and of course, the contempt and rejection of the first principle of that plan – namely the cessation of violence by the Assad regime -has certainly been a grave assault not only on the lives of the Syrian people, but on the international effort intended to bring an end to this ongoing conflict,” said Clinton.

In mid-July, the UN Security Council will decide whether or not to extend the observers mission that, as Clinton noted, is becoming more and more dangerous.

Peres stated that it is better for Arab nations to deal with the situation in Syria themselves – so that no other countries will be blamed for interventionism. “They are ready, let them take the responsibility, let us support them in any way we can. The Arab league should and can do it,” said Peres.

Speaking about changes in the Middle East, Peres expressed optimism with regard to the possibility to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians. “To have a state you need to build a nation and Palestinians started to build a nation,” he said.

Commenting on the Arab Spring, Clinton urged to regard the transition with patience. “We need both humility and patience,” she said.

“We have to remember we [the U.S.] didn’t have a straight line – we didn’t include everybody in the first run, we excluded women, we had to fight a civil war to free slaves. Time has sped up, but work that has to be done is much harder today than even when the Berlin wall fell. Every step is now scrutinized,” said Clinton.

Clinton also commented on upcoming nuclear talks with Iran, to be held in Moscow. Peres expressed skepticism regarding the talks, claiming that the Iranians “are taking advantage of the American democratic process.”

“I am quite certain the Iranian regime is under tremendous pressure from the Russians and Chinese to come to Moscow prepared,” Clinton said.

“The Russians have made it very clear that they expect the Iranians to advance the discussion in Moscow, not just come, listen and leave. The unity and resolve that was shown so far is of real significance,” continued Clinton.

“Let me talk about Iran without passion, to be really straight and cool, and say Iran — the Iranians are not our enemies. In history we had many very friendly relations,” Peres said, “So I’m asking myself, why are we really against Iran? Is it just because of nuclear bomb? Not only. They are the only ones that want to renew imperialism — we can’t accept it”

View original HAARETZ publication at: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/in-joint-appearance-with-peres-in-washington-clinton-condemns-syria-for-using-attack-helicopters-to-quash-uprising-1.436024

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Phillip Pasmanick | March 14, 2012
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Report: U.S. asked Russia to warn Iran of ‘last chance’ to avoid military strike

Clinton reportedly told her Russian counterpart to rely message to Tehran that it must engage in talks with world powers or face a military strike within months, according to Russian daily Kommersant.

The United States has asked Russia to deliver an ultimatum to Iran, warning the Islamic Republic that it has one last chance for talks before a military strike, the Kommersant daily quoted Russian diplomats as saying on Wednesday.

Clinton, Lavrov, Ahmadinejad - Reuters and AP - March 14, 2012

Clinton, Lavrov, Ahmadinejad - Photos Reuters and AP

According to the Russian newspaper, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in New York on Monday to tell Tehran that it has one last chance to solve the conflict peacefully by making progress in the talks with the P5+1 group – United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany. Otherwise, an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities will occur within months, the diplomats said.

The report in Kommersant did not give further details regarding the kind of military action the U.S. was threatening, but quoted Russian diplomats at the UN as saying they believe that it is a “matter of when, not if” Israel would strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Last week, Clinton said that there is still space for diplomacy to resolve Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West shortly after European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton announced that the P5+1 group agreed to restart talks with Iran. A time and venue of the talks has yet to be set.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a series of television interviews, said last week that an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities could take place within months.

“We’re not standing with a stopwatch in hand,” he said. “It’s not a matter of days or weeks, but also not of years. The result must be removal of the threat of nuclear weapons in Iran’s hands.”

Netanyahu met with U.S. President Barack Obama last week and tried to pressure him to harden his tone on Iran.

Netanyahu told Obama that he had not yet made any decision about whether to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, though he made it clear he did not rule out such a move in the future. In statements to the press both before and after the meeting Netanyahu said Israel has the sovereign right to defend itself against Iran.

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By Haaretz

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