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How Not to Fund Hamas: Scrutinize Those Who Receive U.S. Aid
[New York Daily News] Matt Levitt - On Friday, the U.S. government announced that President Obama has authorized the use of $20.3 million to address critical post-conflict humanitarian needs in Gaza. Under the system as it exists today, some or all of those funds could end up in Hamas coffers. By its very nature, USAID is focused more on dispersing aid than on vetting the organizations through which that aid is distributed on the ground. As a result, its record has been tainted by a series of awards to entities with established ties to terrorist groups, including Hamas-controlled charity committees and the Islamic University of Gaza. The necessary first step to fix all this is simple and long-overdue: a partner verification system. It would begin by requiring all applicants for USAID funding to submit identifying information on their principal officers and other employees. Then, meaningful traces would check these officers and employees not only against the full range of publicly available information but also against classified intelligence and law enforcement databases. The critical need to provide humanitarian aid in conflict zones must be balanced with the risk that terrorist groups will try to benefit from that aid. The writer directs the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.