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Our factsheet breaks down U.S. military aid to Israel since October 7 and the immense privileges it already receives. mideastdc.org/publication/...

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This amendment is in stark contrast to the myriad of other amendments introduced by Republicans & Democrats that continue the long history of Congress providing immense support & privileges to Israel, but is in line with recent US polling critical of unconditional aid to Israel.

If the secretary cant certify that Israel has taken “sustained and effective steps” on these conditions, the State Dept cant obligate 30% of the Foreign Military Financing military aid package. This does not touch the $500 million in Defense Department-funded missile defense.

The conditions call on Israel to end violations of int'l humanitarian & human rights law; refrain from annexation & expanding illegal settlements; hold rights violators accountable; facilitate entry for journalists & aid workers into Gaza; & protect Palestinian civil society.

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While this is the first time such an amendment has ever been introduced for Israel, these types of conditions are regularly placed on other recipients of US aid, including close partners like Egypt & Mexico.

Seth Binder @sethbinder.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

.@jayapal.house.gov introduced an amendment during the ongoing State Dept Reauthorization markup in the House Foreign Affairs Committee that would condition $1 billion of the $3.3 billion in US military aid to Israel on human rights benchmarks. A 🧵

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Israel bombed multiple countries across the Middle East in recent days. US military aid makes this possible. In our new factsheet we breakdown the $21.7B provided to Israel since Oct 7 & privileges it receives that allows it to carry on its war machine. mideastdc.org/publication/...

Extraordinary Sums and Privileges: U.S. Security Assistance to Israel Since October 7, 2023 - MEDC

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Far from confronting bureaucratic waste and influence, reductions in congressional reporting undermine public confidence and invite the very risks the admin claims it is looking to stem.

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The admin claims it is ending the practice of providing wasteful foreign aid & will only provide foreign aid to advance US interests, but won’t tell anyone where or why, creating an even less transparent & accountable process.

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State has suggested that the omission of these sub-sections reflects a desire to remain flexible in responding to US national security interests. However, the executive already has significant leeway in adjusting funding levels to reflect changing circumstances.

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Earlier this year, Rep. Mast (R-FL) chastised State & USAID for its lack of transparency, claiming that “Unaccountable bureaucrats don’t want Americans to know how their hard-earned tax dollars are being wasted abroad.”

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In 2023, Sen Hawley (R-MO) said: “Most of our voters are really, really skeptical about additional aid to Ukraine... We still dont have any independent oversight of the spending, no independent accounting of where it’s going, how it’s being spent. I just think that’s outrageous.”

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Such an opaque process, has consistently drawn rancor from Congress. And rightly so.

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But the elimination of the CBJ documents is effectively asking Congress to blindly dole out money without the admin answering those questions, depriving lawmakers and the public on where & why the admin intends to spend billions of taxpayer-funded programming.

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The State Department also explained that “the United States is no longer going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American people.”

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After freezing foreign aid, Rubio justified it by arguing: “Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to 3 questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?”

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This decision eliminates the only congressional & public source of country-by-country info on US foreign aid before it is appropriated, effectively asking Congress to commit billions in taxpayer dollars without any insight into how the admin intends to spend the funds.

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This year, the admin is choosing to ignore that legal requirement, representing a major blow to foreign aid transparency and good governance. It is another example of the mismatch between the admin’s rhetoric and reality.

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Since at least 2001, every administration, including the first Trump admin, produced a critical set of documents of how & why the government intends to provide foreign assistance and how it already spent previous funds, as required by law. But not this year.

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In a new piece by me and @stimsoncenter.bsky.social's Elias Yousif, we discuss the risks of the admin's legally dubious decision not to release detailed accounting for how the government intends to spend future foreign assistance. A 🧵 mideastdc.org/publication/...

President Trump is Undermining Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability - MEDC

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Reposted by Seth Binder

Middle East Democracy Center @mideastdc.org · 18/06/2025

🚨 Saudi Arabia executed a prominent journalist who exposed corruption. The world should act before other dissidents are next. Read our commentary on the shocking execution of Turki Al-Jasser by @aalodah.bsky.social, @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole & Haydn Welch: mideastdc.org/publication/...

Saudi Arabia Executed a Prominent Journalist who Exposed Corruption. The World Should Act Before Other Dissidents are Next. - MEDC

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Reposted by Seth Binder

Middle East Democracy Center @mideastdc.org · 20/05/2025

"The billions in military aid compared to the pennies in democracy assistance really puts into perspective the priority of US governments, not just this administration who have eliminated even the pennies," MEDC’s @sethbinder.bsky.social tells Middle East Eye. www.middleeasteye.net/news/usaid-i...

middleeasteye.net

USAID implosion leaves Middle East activists at mercy of political crackdowns

Human rights defenders across Middle East and North Africa were reliant on US for small grants to help them relocate and resettle abroad

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Reposted by Seth Binder

Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

@sethbinder.bsky.social @mideastdc.org "...In just these 100 days, the Trump administration may have caused irreparable harm to U.S. interests, in which the full cost is only still coming into focus." #100days Read full quote at www.forumarmstrade.org/trump100days...

forumarmstrade.org

Assessing Trump's First 100 Days

To mark the first 100 days in office, experts independently assess aspects of the Trump administration's policies.

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Reposted by Seth Binder

Middle East Democracy Center @mideastdc.org · 14/02/2025

President Trump's foreign aid freeze has been nothing short of chaotic & staggering in its wholesale disruption & cost to US interests, particularly in the MENA region, write MEDC's @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole & Haydn Welch's in @justsecurity.org: www.justsecurity.org/107929/us-fo...

justsecurity.org

The Foreign Aid Freeze's Costs to the US in the Middle East and North Africa

The Trump administration's dismantling of USAID poses significant threats to security in the Middle East and North Africa.

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Reposted by Seth Binder

Just Security @justsecurity.org · 14/02/2025

US #ForeignAid to the Middle East and North Africa has been integral to US “safety, strength, and prosperity” – Secretary of State Rubio’s stated test for fulfilling President Trump’s America First agenda. From @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole and Haydn Welch: #MENA

justsecurity.org

The Foreign Aid Freeze's Costs to the US in the Middle East and North Africa

The Trump administration's dismantling of USAID poses significant threats to security in the Middle East and North Africa.

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Seth Binder @sethbinder.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

While former US Senator Bob Menendez is sentenced to 11 years in prison for a corruption scheme in partnership with the Egyptian government, the Trump administration is allowing Egypt to continue receiving US military aid despite a global foreign aid freeze.

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Reposted by Seth Binder

Middle East Democracy Center @mideastdc.org · 21/01/2025

Egyptian poet & writer Abdulrahman al-Qaradawi has been forcibly disappeared since his extradition to the UAE from Lebanon on January 8. We call on Emirati authorities to disclose his location & immediately #FreeAbdulrahman. Read our joint statement: mideastdc.org/publication/...

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Mary Lawlor @marylawlorhrds.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Disturbed to hear of new charges against HRD & Director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Hossam Bahgat, in connection with his work on prison conditions. He has been a strong, impartial HRD throughout 3 political leaderships & has been harassed for years. His targeting should end.

The national flag of Egypt, a tricolour consisting of the three equal horizontal red, white, and black. The flag bears Egypt's national emblem, the Egyptian eagle of Saladin, centred in the white band.

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Reposted by Seth Binder

Middle East Democracy Center @mideastdc.org · 13/01/2025

"Building production capabilities takes time & lots of funds—just look at the US struggles to increase capacity for globally needed munitions," MEDC's @sethbinder.bsky.social tells @mradamtaylor.bsky.social on Israel's push to produce heavy bombs domestically. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

washingtonpost.com

Israel moves to make heavy bombs, but U.S. reliance hard to shake, experts say

Israel said last week it would move to produce heavy bombs and raw materials for defense domestically, after learning “a central lesson from the war” in Gaza.

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Seth Binder @sethbinder.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Last Sept, the Biden admin fraudulently certified Egypt’s gov made “clear and consistent” progress in releasing political prisoners in order to provide this $95 million to Egypt’s military. Congress blocked those funds from going to Egypt. Now it’s been reprogrammed to Lebanon.

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John Ramming Chappell @jwrchappell.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

"By almost every metric, the harm to civilians from the first month of the Israeli campaign in Gaza is incomparable with any 21st century air campaign. It is by far the most intense, destructive, and fatal conflict for civilians that Airwars has ever documented."

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Brian Dooley @dooleydooley.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

We at Human Rights First are hearing more & more reports of serious unrest in #Bahrain’s notorious Jau prison; that in Building 7 food, water & electricity have been cut for a week. Foreign diplomats should demand prison access to see & report the crisis for themselves @gulfcentre4hr.bsky.social

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Reposted by Seth Binder

Mai El-Sadany @maitelsadany.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

If you want to fill your Friday with something truly remarkable, take a moment to look at the images and videos from across Syria today, where Syrians are celebrating the first Friday following the fall of the 54-year Assad family rule. ✊❤️

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Seth Binder @sethbinder.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

"The administration never truly tested the proposition that it could both uphold its commitment to recalibrate the US-Saudi relationship, a process that would take significant time and effort, and simultaneously advance its other priorities, such as warding off China’s encroachment into the region."

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Reposted by Seth Binder

Middle East Democracy Center @mideastdc.org · 11/12/2024

Today’s confirmation of #SaudiArabia as host of the 2034 FIFA Men’s World Cup risks lives and exposes FIFA’s empty human rights commitments. Read our joint statement: mideastdc.org/publication/...

Joint Statement: Award of 2034 Men’s World Cup to Saudi Arabia Risks Lives and Exposes FIFA’s Empty Human Rights Commitments - MEDC

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Reposted by Seth Binder

Middle East Democracy Center @mideastdc.org · 09/12/2024

MEDC stands in solidarity with the Syrian people as they celebrate the fall of the Assad regime and is overjoyed to see all those wrongfully detained in Assad’s dungeons, including the infamous Sednaya Military Prison, be freed and reunited with loved ones.

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Seth Binder @sethbinder.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

In Feb 2021, State announced the "Khashoggi Ban" & placed visa bans on 76 Saudis for transnational repression. Today, State announced that nearly 4 years later it has only banned "over 100 individuals" and none are from a US partner country other than Saudi. www.state.gov/accountabili...

state.gov

Accountability Actions to Counter Global Corruption and Human Rights - United States Department of State

On International Anti-Corruption Day and on the eve of Human Rights Day the United States is taking the following actions to promote accountability for perpetrators of corruption and human rights abus...

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Brian Dooley @dooleydooley.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

Tomorrow is International Human Rights Defenders Day. Wouldn’t it be great if the Gulf regimes released their HRDs in prison? Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, Abduljalil Al Singace & others in Bahrain; Ahmed Mansoor, Mohamed Al Roken, Nasser bin Ghaith & others in the UAE; Mohammad Al Qahtani & others in Saudi

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Mai El-Sadany @maitelsadany.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

"The Syrian people topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad"

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Seth Binder @sethbinder.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Joint Statement: Egyptian Authorities Must Lift Punitive Measures Against EIPR Staff mideastdc.org/publication/...

Joint Statement: Egyptian Authorities Must Lift Punitive Measures Against EIPR Staff - MEDC

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Reposted by Seth Binder

John Ramming Chappell @jwrchappell.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

"On Capitol Hill, Sen. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-Md.) and @repsarajacobs.bsky.social (D-Calif.) have advanced legislation to block U.S. arms sales to the UAE over its role in arming the RSF and worsening Sudan’s civil war." 1/ www.politico.com/newsletters/...

politico.com

Biden’s Sudan blind spot

The United Arab Emirates has allegedly helped arm and fund the Rapid Support Forces militia in Sudan that has been accused of widespread atrocities including ethnic cleansing, mass rape and torture.

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Reposted by Seth Binder

Patrick Zaki @patrickzaki.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

The United States vetoed the UN Security Council resolution for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, which received 14 votes in favor and one against. #Gaza

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Seth Binder @sethbinder.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Written by my dear friend, Amr. Please ready his thoughtful and powerful piece.

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Mai El-Sadany @maitelsadany.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Yesterday, Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah turned 43 years old, marking his 11th birthday behind bars, away from his family and friends. May it be the last one apart from his loved ones. Thinking of him as he is held illegally in custody beyond the completion of his sentence. #FreeAlaa

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Seth Binder @sethbinder.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

Before Biden's fist-bump with the Saudi crown prince in July 2022, he wrote: "The Middle East I’ll be visiting is more stable and secure than the one my administration inherited 18 months ago." U.S. policy since then deserves a lot of blame for why that sentence doesn't hold up.