I wrote about this Abrams’ creative legal tactic— weaponizing the False Claims Act by linking it to a US contract certification signed by NGOs -- back in Jan 2019 — forward.com/opinion/417058…
As a reminder: US law defines terrorism as violent acts intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or a government’s policy. & US anti-terror laws/material support regulations are intended to target those who plan, carry out, and fund terrorism.”
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"These laws are reasonable and just, as is the False Claims Act, intended to punish contractors who defraud U.S. taxpayers, and to enable ‘whistleblowers' to help by bringing non-public information to the government’s attention.”
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"But Abrams appears to have developed a strategy that exploits these laws not to fight terrorists or their funders, but to intimidate and coerce NGOs into abandoning moral, humanitarian, political and financial support for Palestinians.”
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"And he seems to be using the False Claims Act not as a tool to go after NGOs that commit genuine fraud or that misuse taxpayer funds, but as a weapon to attack NGOs that he considers anti-Israel.”
Another quick thread re State Dept plan to label human rights orgs “antisemitic”:
Key thing to understand is that such labeling is a feature, not a bug, of efforts to promoting definition of antisemitism that focuses NOT on hatred/threats to Jews, but on criticism of Israel.
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This re-definition is at the core of the IHRA definition of antisemitism’s “contemporary examples.”
And make no mistake: these examples - which conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism - are the ONLY parts of the IHRA that backers of this effort are interested in.
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So rather than focus on real lethal antisemitism surging around the world, the massive effort focuses on promoting this definition, so that today they can say, “hey, it’s not us labeling them antisemitic, it’s this definition that everyone accepts, and who can argue with that” 3/
A State Department Memo Suggests It’s About to Accuse Prominent Human Rights Groups of “Anti-Semitism” – Mother Jones motherjones.com/politics/2020/…
“‘Certain non-governmental organizations (NGOs) regularly participate in and promote the Global BDS Campaign or engage in other activities that meet the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of anti-Semitism,’...”
“... reads a memo produced by Carr’s office, which Mother Jones obtained, that urges Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to permit the release of its report...”
New Menendez (D-NJ)/Feinstein (D-CA) bill, S4814, "to ensure that sales, exports, or transfers of F-35 aircraft do not compromise the qualitative military edge of the United States or Israel, and for other purposes”
"More than half of all American states have passed laws designed to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel…"
"No advocacy group was more important to this push than the Israel Allies Foundation, an American non-profit that supports a network of pro-Israel legislators across the globe.” 3/
As @Facebook & @sherylsandberg are pressured to adopt IHRA definition, reminder: in May Congress adopted “Never Again Education Act” which…included a different — and entirely non-controversial definition of antisemitism.
If you’re not paying attention to efforts to get social media (FB, Twitter) to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism — as a means to deplatform/quash criticism of Israel — you should be.