Samantha Power's Meeting With Hamas Cheerleader Crosses A Red Line
USAID Inspector General and Congressional Probes Required
Key Points
· Power attends meeting with Hamasphiliac.
· Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and Mission Order 21.
· Siblani adores Hamas and Hezbollah.
· Power’s conduct must be investigated.
· USAID gives UnAmerican Activities the cold shoulder.
Samantha Power, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, an appendage of the U.S. State Department that provides significant aid in Gaza, not only made a huge public relations blunder but also a serious legal misstep by participating in a February 9 meeting in Dearborn, Michigan, that included Osama Siblani, the publisher of Arab American News.
Power’s presence at a series of meetings and specifically one or more that included Siblani, raises a key question: What was she doing there and was her presence a part of her official duties? After all, Power has a history of meddling and venturing into inappropriate places that earned her the sobriquet “Unmasker in Chief.”
The USAID website contains “ADS 101 – Agency Programs and Functions” which sets forth the functional statements for all of the agency’s operating units and states: “The Administrator (A/AID) formulates and executes U.S. foreign economic and development assistance policies and programs, subject to the foreign policy guidance of the President, the Secretary of State, and the National Security Council. The A/AID administers appropriations made available under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.”
Of considerable interest was the presence in the visiting delegation of Jonathan Finer. deputy national security advisor, who serves under National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and Mazen Basrawi, National Security Council director for Partnerships and Global Engagement. According to the Washington Post, Finer and Power “play key roles in the president’s foreign policy, including his approach to Israel and the Middle East [and] were among those who held multiple meetings Thursday with leaders of the Arab American and Muslim community.”
Why were they there?
Mission Order 21
As part of her official responsibilities, Power must assure that USAID, which supports America’s foreign policy by dispensing international development and disaster aid, is in full compliance with the provisions of Mission Order 21.
In a nutshell, USAID to the West Bank and Gaza is conducted pursuant to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 [see Sec. 301(c)] and under anti-terrorism policies and procedures outlined in Mission Order 21, with the goal of ensuring program assistance “does not inadvertently provide support to entities and individuals associated with terrorism.”
Given Siblani’s history of public support for Hamas and Hezbollah, both designated by the U.S. government as terrorist organizations, was Power’s participation an act crossing a legal, as well as ethical, red line?
Siblani Lauds Hamas and Hezbollah
Siblani is a prominent rabble rousing Arab American newspaper publisher who immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon in 1976. He launched his Dearborn-based bilingual newspaper, the Arab-American News, in 1984.
The ADL, in a report published in 2013, said: “The influence Osama Siblani has in the Arab and Muslim communities in Michigan goes beyond his role at the newspaper. Osama Siblani is the chairman and spokesperson of the Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO), an umbrella organization that claims to represent the views of 47 local Arab American organizations.”
Here is a menu of some of his rhetorical offerings:
· On May 7, 2003, Siblani was quoted as saying: “Mr. Bush believes Hezbollah, Hamas, and other Palestinian factions are terrorists, but we believe they are freedom fighters,”
· In 2004, Siblani told the Washington Post that Al Manar, Hezbollah’s television outlet, is very popular among Arab-Americans because of its support “for resistance against Israeli occupation … I disagree with the State Department that it incites violence.”
· In 2006, Siblani told the Chicago Tribune: “If the FBI wants to come after those who support the resistance done by Hezbollah, then they better bring a fleet of buses. I for one would be willing to go to jail.” (Editor’s Note: at best, Lebanon has a very minor border dispute with Israel that is the raison d’être for the so-called resistance by the Shia group which the U.S. government has labelled a terrorist organization.)
· In 2008, according to the ADL, Siblani stated at an anti-Israel rally opposing an Israeli military operation in Gaza: “We know that you are being subjected as we speak to the biggest campaign of killing by this military killing machine that is called Israel, that was made by the United States of America.”
· On February 19, 2016, Siblani posted an image of Hezbollah kingpin Hassan Nasrallah, stating: “Master of speech, master of equations, and master of resistance.”
· At a 2021 rally in Dearborn, Siblani stated: “I am not going to apologize for Hamas firing rockets into Israel. This conflict is not going to end with a ceasefire. It is going to be pushed back to another time.”
· In a video of a May 15, 2022, speech posted on MEMRI, Siblani said: “We Arabs, whether in Michigan or Jenin [in Judea and Samaria], will help bring the Palestinians to victory, with stones, guns, planes, drones, rockets ….”
· On October 13, 2023, “Click on Detroit” reported this comment by Siblani: “We are not going to be intimidated. Hamas is not a terrorist organization and we have to say to them the terrorist is Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.”
· During a November 29, 2023, rally in Dearborn, Siblani stated: “412 [in the House of Representatives] to one, supporting Israel and ignoring the Palestinian plight. We are on the road to a great victory, here in D.C., and there in Palestine. Let us remember in next November, what these co-conspirators, co-criminals, have done this October and November, and let's remember: No vote for Biden, and no vote for Trump!”
Time For Inspector General/Congressional Probes
Power’s actions on February 9 and the participation of a powerhouse official delegation were clearly attributable to outright politics as the Biden political machine has serious concerns about the Arab vote in this year’s presidential election. The city of Dearborn has a majority Arab-American population and Michigan wields 15 critical electoral votes.
Based on his comments regarding Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as the possibility of links to USAID grantees and/or awardees, perhaps Siblani deserves a closer look.
Certainly, the entire episode involving Power warrants action, both by USAID’s inspector general and Capitol Hill.
The aforementioned “ADS 101” describes the USAID Office of the Inspector General as serving “as the principal advisor regarding matters affecting the integrity of Agency operations.” Clearly, the IG has ample reasons to conduct in-depth scrutiny of Power’s conduct and relationship with Siblani and USAID recipients in Gaza and Judea and Samaria (aka the West Bank).
And how about congressional oversight which, sadly, won’t be coming from the Democrats.
USAID Remains Tight-lipped
On February 9, this reporter submitted several questions to the USAID public affairs office and also made a follow-up request. At deadline, no response was forthcoming from the agency.
Among the questions posed were:
· Can you confirm that Samantha Power participated in a meeting that included Osama Siblani?
· Who were the other participants in the meeting?
· Is Siblani associated with any recipients of USAID funding (e.g. grantees, awardees, contractors) subject to Mission Order 21?
· Can you provide the comments of Power at the meeting with Siblani?
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