The US State Department has granted over $90,000 in funds to The Phoenix Center for Research and Field Studies. According to the Washington Examiner report, this organisation has supported Palestinian terrorist groups such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
USAspending.gov has listed the Phoenix Center as the recipient of two grants. The first grant of $30,088 is scheduled for a project from August 2023 to July 2024, while the second grant of $60,000 is scheduled for a project from September 2023 to August 2024. Although the grant descriptions name the recipient as the “Finiq Center for Field Studies and Researches,” NGO Monitor believes this may be a phonetic error. The listed address matches the Phoenix Centre’s, further confirming this assumption.
In its report, Jerusalem Post pointed out that NGO Monitor has raised concerns about a potential mix-up in the grant description of the first project, which aims to develop IT skills and provide networking opportunities with IT employers in Europe and Asia. The concern is that the project’s description appears unrelated to the typical activities associated with the Phoenix Center.
The second project aims to improve public speaking, storytelling, and digital networking skills for “Palestinian USG alumni”. The Phoenix Center has been known to host conferences and panels expressing support for “armed resistance” against Israel, with participation from senior members of Palestinian terrorist organizations.
In December 2022, the Phoenix Center held discussions with Israeli authorities about the conflict and the role of political agendas. The centre concluded that “reintegrating armed resistance and popular resistance” are crucial tools that must be prioritised in future agendas concerning the conflict with Israel.
The centre’s Director of Programs, Salah Abdalati, expressed support for terrorist groups in the West Bank and made specific references to their actions during an operation in November 2022. Additionally, Abdalati has posted statements on social media advocating resistance against the Israeli ‘occupation’.
During one of its workshops titled “Strengthening the concept of civil peace, rule of law, and the importance of national dialogue,” the Phoenix Center exhibited materials expressing support for the PFLP, a group that has been recognised as a terrorist organisation by both the US and EU. It’s worth noting that this workshop was funded by the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) NGO.
In September 2022, the Phoenix Center held discussions on the links between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli occupation, with the participation of a senior member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Khader Habib, who has consistently called for violence against Israel. In 2019, Habib even issued a threat to kill Jews and urged them to leave Israel.
The grants given by the US State Department to the Phoenix Center have become a cause of worry for Prof. Gerald Steinberg, the President and founder of NGO Monitor. He stresses the significance of proper due diligence to guarantee that government funding is not provided to organisations linked with violence or terrorism.
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee subcommittee hearing, US Representative Tim Burchett raised concerns about an organisation linked to designated terrorist groups receiving funds from the State Department. The hearing was titled “No Incentives for Terrorism: US Implementation of the Taylor Force Act and Efforts to Stop ‘Pay to Slay.'”
In a post on X, he wrote, “The Phoenix Center has received tens of thousands in U.S. dollars and is partnered with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Why are two U.S. designated terrorist groups receiving money from the State Department?”
At the hearing, Elliott Abrams, former Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor, emphasised the significance of conducting thorough research and vetting of grant recipients by the State Department.
Calling it an “international embarrassment”, Rep. Brian Mast said he would stand with Israel.
He wrote, “Never mind the sheer stupidity of thinking Palestinian terrorists would respond to DEI programs. It is an international embarrassment that the Biden Administration is actively funding violent anti-Israel groups in Gaza and the West Bank. I stand with Israel, period.”
Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) wrote to Secretary of Defence Anthony Blinken and said, “We respectfully request that you look into this matter and, if the matter proves to be as stated by NGO Monitor, we request further to be informed how the selection of Phoenix Center happened, what remedial action the department will take in regard to these grants, and what action the department will take in order to ensure that this does not happen again.”
“Under absolutely no circumstances should the State Department be subsidising an organisation that promotes the killing of innocent Jews and terror attacks against our great ally Israel,” they added.