Behind the Headlines Video
[(Segment on tape) Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya preaching war against America.]
Hamas is an Islamic organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel. It's preached violence against America, the west, and Jews. In the past 20 years, 18 Americans have been killed in terror attacks carried out by Hamas.
Hamas was founded in 1987 as off-shoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Which now runs Egypt. In 2007 Hamas began running the government in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority runs the West Bank. Much of Hamas' funding comes from Iran.
There have been restrictions on U.S. funds going to Palestinian groups such as Hamas since 1987. A prohibition on the funding of Hamas went into effect after the U.S. designated it a terrorist organization in 1997.
Each year, the annual appropriations measure to run the U.S. State Department specifically prohibits U.S. funds from going to Hamas.
So, it's interesting that late on a Friday -- when it wouldn't receive much attention -- President Obama issued an order waiving the prohibition on the U.S. giving money to Hamas.
More than half of the Palestinian Authority budget has been funneled to Hamas in years past. So giving aid to the Palestinian Authority is a money laundering operation for Hamas.
We may learn more when Obama visits with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank in two weeks.
[The Obama Administration has been antagonistic toward Israel throughout Obama's presidency. Obama nominated former US Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) to be Secretary of Defense. Hagel has anti-Semitic leanings and has made anti-Israel statements in the past.]
[Obama's March 2013 trip to Israel provides an opportunity for the president to set the record straight regarding his position on Israel.]
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