ACLJ Jerusalem Office Sounded the Alarm in 2023 – Now Congress Announces Findings of Nearly $1 Billion in US Funding Behind Anti-Israel Protests

At the ACLJ, we are committed to exposing the truth, defending our allies, and holding power to account – whether in Jerusalem, Washington, or anywhere the rule of law is threatened.

In 2023, speculation swirled that far-Left political operatives, groups, and possibly even the Biden Administration itself were fueling the protests and social unrest then dividing Israel over the issue of reforming its judiciary.

Our ACLJ Jerusalem office decided to investigate, uncovering disturbing evidence that U.S. taxpayer dollars – including funds from the federal government – were indeed being funneled into groups and political protests hostile to the Netanyahu government. These groups weren’t focused on peace or development – they were driving mass political instability with one apparent goal: to bring down the democratically elected government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Gathering Israeli government filings and other documents in Jerusalem as well as local news reports, we reviewed the evidence, translated it, and compared it to information we obtained in America. We brought the information directly to congressional leaders, including House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and his team, who initiated an investigation into the scope and scale of American involvement in these foreign political movements.

Now, two years later, the results of that investigation are being made public.

According to the House Judiciary Committee’s newly released memorandum, nearly $1 billion – specifically, over $886 million – was funneled from U.S.-based organizations into Israeli NGOs that led efforts to derail judicial reform, delegitimize Israel’s governing coalition, and foment unrest. Much of this money flowed through tax-exempt U.S. charities like the PEF Israel Endowment Funds (which transferred approximately $886 million over five years) and the Jewish Communal Fund (which contributed over $42.8 million to similar groups).

One of the key conduits identified was the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, which administered over $20 million in Holocaust-era restitution funds – intended for reconciliation and education – which were instead rerouted to political mobilization in Israel. Another concerning player is the Middle East Peace Dialogue Network (MEPDN), which, according to the Committee, may have violated IRS regulations by providing funding to organizations involved in direct political activity in a foreign democracy.

Even more alarming: Some of these pass-through entities received U.S. government grants, repurposed under the guise of “peace-building” and “democracy promotion” to support highly partisan and ideologically motivated campaigns in Israel.

There have been many reports, including interviews with Hamas terror leaders, that the horrific October 7 invasion was linked to Israel’s enemies’ sense that the political divisions they were witnessing made Israel more vulnerable to attack. It is deeply painful to think that American tax dollars supposedly sent to “peace-building” missions were instead instrumental in triggering the atrocities of October 7 and the resulting war.

And the domestic political irony is also hard to miss: For years, the far Left has leveled breathless accusations about foreign interference in American elections – while all along, it appears that the Left was also helping to funnel nearly a billion dollars into Israel to interfere in the democratic process of our closest ally. The hypocrisy is as breathtaking as the betrayal.

This isn’t just a funding scandal. A billion dollars is an extraordinary sum deployed to destabilize tiny Israel. This is a foreign policy crisis, a nonprofit compliance failure, and a breach of the trust that Americans and Israelis place in their institutions. When American money is used to target the democratic will of Israel’s citizens, that’s not diplomacy but subversion.

Chairman Jordan’s committee has done yeoman work in digging into the evidence and is now making public what our Jerusalem office uncovered in the field: evidence of a coordinated effort, financed with American dollars, to undermine the internal stability of the State of Israel. We appreciate the Chairman and his staff for their trust in the ACLJ and their commitment to getting to the bottom of this issue.

At the ACLJ, we understood the stakes and the diplomatic, political, and legal issues. We are uniquely situated and qualified to have uncovered this outrage, obtaining and analyzing records in Jerusalem and, thanks to decades of access and trust at the highest levels in Washington, helping make sure this would be pursued and brought to light.

This is why the ACLJ exists. And it’s why we’re fighting harder than ever.

We will continue working with lawmakers, legal experts, and partners in Washington and Jerusalem to ensure there is transparency, accountability, and – hopefully – an end to this abuse.

For the ACLJ, defending Israel, defending democracy, and defending integrity – making sure American tax dollars are not being used to harm America’s interests and allies – are not partisan issues. They’re moral imperatives.

Stay informed. Stay vigilant. Stand with us. Sign our petition: Stop Funding Terrorists at War With Israel.