The US State Department denied accusations of “funding by the Biden administration of protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel.”
Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman Vedant Patel said that while the administration supports Netanyahu’s decision to freeze judicial reform, it does not support the movement against the “judicial reform” law.
Patel added: “We welcome this announcement as an opportunity to find more time and space to compromise. A settlement is exactly what we called for, and we continue to urge the Israeli leaders to find a compromise as soon as possible.”
“Regarding allegations of Biden administration funding of anti-reform organizations, U.S. funding to groups currently protesting the Judicial Reform Act ceased late last year, ahead of the last Knesset elections,” the spokesman said.
He added: “These allegations are completely and blatantly false. The Movement for Quality Government in Israel is a non-governmental organization and received a modest grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which began under the previous administration. the last disbursement of funds was made in September 2022, before the last elections in Israel. This grant supported an educational program for schools in Jerusalem.
“Any notion that we support these protests or are their initiators is completely wrong,” he concluded.
Yair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has previously accused the US administration of funding protests in Israel to overthrow his father’s government and reach an agreement with Iran.
Source: Israel national news
