Biden Campaign And Antisemitic Protests Are Bankrolled By The Same Rich Liberals

New Reporting Shows President Biden And The Pro-Hamas Protesters Are Bankrolled By The Same Wealthy Progressive Megadonors

“President Joe Biden has been dogged for months by pro-Palestinian protesters calling him ‘Genocide Joe’ — but some of the groups behind the demonstrations receive financial backing from philanthropists pushing hard for his reelection.” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

‘The Donors Include Some Of The Biggest Names In Democratic Circles’

“The donors include some of the biggest names in Democratic circles: Soros, Rockefeller and Pritzker, according to a POLITICO analysis.” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

“The trail of donations shows a series of blurred lines when it comes to liberal causes and Democratic politics.” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

·       “[A] small group of wealthy heavyweights are often playing an outsize role funding many of them.” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

The Tides Foundation And Others Funded A Group That Immediately Blamed Israel For Hamas’ Oct. 7 Attack And ‘Explicitly Describes Itself As Anti-Zionist’

“Two of the organizers supporting the protests at Columbia University and on other campuses are Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow.” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

·       “Both are supported by the Tides Foundation, which is seeded by Democratic megadonor George Soros and was previously supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

“Another notable Democratic donor whose philanthropy has helped fund the protest movement is David Rockefeller Jr., who sits on the board of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. In 2022, the fund gave $300,000 to the Tides Foundation…”  (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

·       “[A]ccording to nonprofit tax forms, Tides has given nearly $500,000 over the past five years to Jewish Voice for Peace, which explicitly describes itself as anti-Zionist.” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

·       “‘Why [is the Rockefeller Fund] giving significant grants to Jewish Voice for Peace, [which] blamed the horrific Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and the United States rather than Hamas?’ said Elisha Wiesel, a Democratic donor who chairs the Elie Wiesel Foundation, an organization that supports anti-genocide work.” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

“Jewish Voice for Peace, which did not return a request for comment, has been a leader in disruptive protests against Biden, including shouting ‘genocide supporter’ at his glitzy fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall in New York in March. It protests on campuses across the country, and its statement immediately following the Oct. 7 attacks said that ‘the source of all this violence’ was ‘Israeli apartheid and occupation — and United States complicity in that oppression.’” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: “In the weeks following the invasion and brutal attacks on Israelis, JVP [Jewish Voice For Peace] chapters have been active on social media and have sponsored or co-sponsored dozens of anti-Israel rallies across the United States. In several instances, JVP or attendees/speakers at its rallies have expressed explicit support for terror against Israel or even overt antisemitism…” (“Jewish Voice For Peace (JVP): What You Need To Know,” Anti-Defamation League, Updated 10/25/2023)

Several Other Groups Are Funded By Democratic Megadonors Susan And Nick Pritzker, ‘Supporters Of Biden And Numerous Democratic Campaigns’

“Several other groups involved in pro-Palestinian protests are backed by a foundation funded by Susan and Nick Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt Hotel empire — and supporters of Biden and numerous Democratic campaigns, including $6,600 to the Biden Victory Fund a few months ago and more than $300,000 during the 2020 campaign.” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

·       “Solidaire has received financial support from the Pritzkers, who also founded the Libra Foundation, which funds smaller nonprofits that address criminal justice, environmental and gender justice issues…. Some of the groups funded by Libra have also been involved in protests against Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

“The Tides Foundation, funded by the Prizkers, has also supported the Adalah Justice Project, which has also been part of protests at Columbia University. The group wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that ‘universities are hedge funds, deeply embedded with weapons manufacturers.’ Tides also supports Palestine Legal, a legal defense fund that is offers legal assistance to ‘students mobilizing against genocide.’” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

·       “Palestine Legal has been a fiscally sponsored project of the Tides Center since 2013, and Adalah Justice Project since 2016, according to a spokesperson. Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow ‘are grantee partners.’” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: JULY 2014: “Adalah Executive Director Sandra Tamari: ‘Resistance rockets fired from the Gaza Strip provide a necessary counter-discourse. The Israeli Jewish public must understand that there shall be no security so long as they do not turn their anger and frustration at their very supremacist privilege and ideological system, which is invited in the Israeli government left wing centrist or right wing... Rockets, in other words, are a radical declaration of existence and an unmediated expression of self-determination.’” (“Anti-Israel Activism On U.S. Campuses, 2021-2022,” Anti-Defamation League, 10/12/2022)

·       APRIL 2021: “From an article in Jacobin co-authored by Adalah employee Sumaya Awad: ‘Any solution that maintains the state of Israel as a Jewish state violates the individual and collective democratic, civil, and human rights of Palestinians.’” (“Anti-Israel Activism On U.S. Campuses, 2021-2022,” Anti-Defamation League, 10/12/2022)

·       OCTOBER 2023: “Activist group Adalah Justice Project, which frequently partners with JVP and SJP: ‘The natural reaction to colonization and oppression is resistance.’” (“Anti-Israel Activists Celebrate Hamas Attacks That Have Killed Hundreds Of Israelis,” Updated 10/14/2023)

‘The Political Tactics Underlying Some Of The Demonstrations Were The Result Of Months Of Training, Planning And Encouragement By Longtime Activists And Left-Wing Groups’

“[T]he political tactics underlying some of the demonstrations were the result of months of training, planning and encouragement by longtime activists and left-wing groups.” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

“At Columbia University, in the weeks and months before police took down encampments at the New York City campus and removed demonstrators occupying an academic building, student organizers began consulting with groups such as the National Students for Justice in Palestine, veterans of campus protests and former Black Panthers.” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

“The National Students for Justice in Palestine, or NSJP, has been around some two decades and has more than 300 chapters across the U.S., many of which have helped organize the college encampments and building occupations.” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

·       “As early as October, NSJP was promoting a ‘day of resistance’ with demonstrations at colleges.” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

·       “Over time, the messages from the national group became more pointed. ‘The Student Movement for Palestinian Liberation will not be silenced; we will escalate until our demands are met,’ NSJP posted on social media on April 25.” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

·       “Another referred to police as ‘pigs’ and offered this advice: ‘If someone is arrested, don’t linger too long or pigs will kettle the march,’ referring to a crowd-control tactic. ‘Free the comrade, or else get their name and birthdate for jail support and keep it moving.’” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

·       “On April 29, the group announced a new chant on social media: ‘No divestment, no commencement.’” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: “Numerous SJP chapters released inflammatory statements in support of Palestinians seizing control of Israeli territory, including some which explicitly endorse the use of violence and attacks on civilians.  ‘We reject the distinction between ‘civilian’ and ‘militant.’ We reject the distinction between ‘settler’ and ‘soldier,’’ The George Washington University SJP wrote. ‘A settler is an aggressor, a soldier, and an occupier even if they are lounging on our occupied beaches.’ The SJP chapter of CUNY Law shared, ‘If you support Palestine understand that necessitates supporting our right to defend ourselves and liberate our homeland by any means necessary.’ Chapters have also adopted the image of a person flying in a paraglider, a clear reference to the Hamas terrorists who utilized paragliders as part of their massacre of Israeli civilians, as a symbol of their call for resistance.” (“Students For Justice In Palestine (SJP),” Anti-Defamation League, 10/19/2023)

Columbia Students Hosted A Virtual Event With A Group That ‘Celebrated The Oct. 7 Hamas Attack On Israel,’ And That Has Been Banned In Germany ‘After Saying It Supported Terrorism And Antisemitism’

“In March, there was a ‘Resistance 101’ training scheduled at Columbia with guest speakers including longtime activists with Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based group that celebrated the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

·       “The administration twice barred the event, citing some of the organizers’ known support of terrorism and promotion of violence. Columbia students hosted the event virtually nonetheless, which prompted Columbia President Minouche Shafik to suspend several of them.” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

“During the session, which lasted nearly two hours, Samidoun coordinator Charlotte Kates encouraged students ‘to build an international popular cradle of the resistance,’ according to a recording posted on YouTube.” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

·       “‘There is nothing wrong with being a member of Hamas, being a leader of Hamas, being a fighter in Hamas,’ Kates said. ‘These are the people that are on the front lines defending Palestine.’” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

“The German government banned the group last November after saying it supported terrorism and antisemitism, and incited the use of violence to enforce political interests.” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

“Jacob Schmeltz, a senior political-science major at Columbia, went home to Montclair, N.J., for Passover and said he felt so uncomfortable with the antisemitic rhetoric on campus, he hasn’t come back.” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

·       “‘This should be the time I should be able to enjoy my senior year,’ he said. ‘But instead I have felt so rejected by much of the Columbia community that have refused to call out the incidents of antisemitism on campus.’” (“Activist Groups Trained Students For Months Before Campus Protests,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/03/2024)

Instead Of Repudiating The Loudly Anti-Israel Section Of The Democratic Base, The Biden Campaign Has Telegraphed A Palpable Desperation For Their Support

“The White House is staring down a spring of unrest, with Democrats growing ever fearful that the tensions flaring on college campuses could spiral into political poison for the president.” (“Biden Enters His Spring Of (Potential) Unrest,” Politico, 4/30/2024)

·       “Biden is struggling to regain support from young people, who went overwhelmingly for him in 2020, and the protests may complicate that effort.” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

·       “The liability for Biden could be more pronounced if the protests continue throughout the summer and fall, as the election draws closer.” (“Pro-Palestinian Protesters Are Backed By A Surprising Source: Biden’s Biggest Donors,” Politico, 5/05/2024)

“Parallels between the current, increasingly hostile stand-off between Democratic leaders and activists and the antiwar movement of the 1960s – or, more recently, Occupy Wall Street – are easy to find.” (“College Campus Protests Highlight Tensions In Biden’s Coalition,” CNN, 4/30/2024)

·       “Democrats fear their convention in Chicago this summer could be mired in antiwar protests, and Biden would likely face student opposition if he appears on any college campuses, further causing headaches in an election year.” (“Biden, Congressional Democrats Distance Themselves From Campus Protests,” The Washington Post, 5/03/2024)

“It is far from clear that Biden can count on progressives and younger voters to back him…” (“Biden Bets On The Middle With Campus Protests,” The Hill, 05/04/2024)

·       “Some Democrats harbor doubts about whether there is a plausible path to wade through this thicket … They note that any forceful condemnation of the demonstrations risks further alienating those who see U.S. support for Israel’s war against Hamas as deeply problematic.” (“Biden Enters His Spring Of (Potential) Unrest,” Politico, 4/30/2024)

“One longtime progressive strategist, who has worked with outside-the-party movements and high-profile Democratic campaigns alike, told CNN there was ‘a pretty significant disconnect’ between the progressive base and like-minded elected officials.” (“College Campus Protests Highlight Tensions In Biden’s Coalition,” CNN, 4/30/2024)

“Democrats are fearful that Israel’s war in Gaza is turning into a major political liability for President Biden and candidates down the ballot…” (“Democrats Fear Israel-Hamas War Could Cost Them In November,” The Hill, 4/03/2024)

·       “Some of Biden’s senior aides are becoming increasingly worried that his support for Israel’s war in Gaza risks damaging his re-election prospects amid cratering support from young voters.” (“Biden-Netanyahu Relationship at Boiling Point as Rafah Invasion Looms,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/15/2024)

“Protests over the war … have dogged the president since late last year and divided his Democratic Party. On [May 1^st], 57 Democrats in Congress asked Biden to withhold aid to Israel in an attempt to stop a planned assault in Rafah…. Some rank-and-file Democrats warn that young voters, already ho-hum on Biden, could desert him over Israel.” (“Campus Protests Challenge Biden Re-Election Campaign And Democrats,” Reuters, 5/02/2024)

“The tumult spreading through college campuses is especially tricky for Biden as he works to rebuild the voting coalition from the 2020 presidential race. Many of the students protesting the war in Gaza say they are unhappy with him for not bringing about a cease-fire.” (“Biden Administration Faces Pressure To Step Up Its Response To Antisemitic Incidents On College Campuses,” NBC News, 4/28/2024)

·       “John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, said polls and other research he’s conducted underscore the challenges Biden faces in this environment … While the situation in Gaza may not be high on the list of topics identified by young voters as priorities, Della Volpe compared it to an issue like climate change where if a candidate doesn’t share their view, voters won’t engage with them on other issues. ‘One of the first things that a young person tells me is that they don’t feel understood,’ Della Volpe said.” (“Biden Officials Will Have A Minimal Presence At College Graduations As Campuses Erupt In Protests,” NBC News, 4/27/2024)