{"id":199751,"date":"2023-12-13T14:47:23","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T18:47:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/?p=199751"},"modified":"2023-12-13T14:48:21","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T18:48:21","slug":"bombshell-israel-drove-suitcases-stuffed-with-cash-into-gaza-to-keep-hamas-in-power-nyt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/?p=199751","title":{"rendered":"<h2><b><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">BOMBSHELL!<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Israel drove suitcases stuffed with cash into Gaza to keep Hamas in power &#8212; NYT<\/span><\/b><\/h2>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h5><a class=\"article-image-height-wrapper article-image-height-wrapper-new\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/world\/israel-drove-suitcases-stuffed-with-cash-into-gaza-to-keep-hamas-in-power-nyt\/ar-AA1llqiy?fullscreen=true#image=2\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:14,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:14}\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image article-image-ux-impr article-image-new alignnone\" title=\"Israeli Prime Minister &quot;Bibi&quot; Netanyahu allowed millions in funds to flow to Hamas, the New York Times reported. picture alliance; Getty Images\" src=\"https:\/\/img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net\/tenant\/amp\/entityid\/AA1lljI7.img?w=534&amp;h=356&amp;m=6&amp;x=2386&amp;y=832&amp;s=253&amp;d=558\" alt=\"Israeli Prime Minister &quot;Bibi&quot; Netanyahu allowed millions in funds to flow to Hamas, the New York Times reported. picture alliance; Getty Images\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<span class=\"image-caption\">Israeli Prime Minister &#8220;Bibi&#8221; Netanyahu allowed millions in funds to flow to Hamas, the New York Times reported. picture alliance; Getty Images<\/span> <span class=\"image-attribution image-attribution-ux-impr\">\u00a9 picture alliance; Getty Images<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><!--more-->Story by psquire@insider.com (Paul Squire)<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-list-slot\">\n<ul class=\"summary-list\">\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Israel tacitly encouraged Hamas to stay in power, according to the New York Times.<\/li>\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">In some cases, Israeli support was more obvious.<\/li>\n<li data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Israeli security forces would help escort millions in funds into Gaza, helping Hamas, NYT reported.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Israeli officials are facing backlash after years of Prime Minister Benjamin &#8220;Bibi&#8221; Netanyahu quietly allowing Hamas to remain in power.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/12\/10\/world\/middleeast\/israel-qatar-money-prop-up-hamas.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">reporting in the New York Times<\/a> has revealed that Netanyahu&#8217;s government was more hands-on about helping Hamas: they helped a Qatari diplomat bring suitcases of cash into Gaza, indirectly boosting the militant organization, according to the report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"continue-read-break\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">The calculus \u2014 the Times reported on Sunday, citing Israeli officials, Netanyahu&#8217;s critics, and the man&#8217;s own reported statements \u2014 was to keep Hamas strong enough to counteract the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, allowing Netanyahu to avoid a two-state peace solution and keep both sides weak.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/why-the-hamas-attacks-have-trashed-israels-reputation-for-spying-2023-10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">Israeli security officials got it wrong<\/a>; they didn&#8217;t think Hamas was capable, or even interested, in launching a large attack against the Jewish state.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">To keep Hamas propped up, Netanyahu&#8217;s government worked with Qatari to keep the money flowing, the New York Times reported. Israel knew that Qatar was supporting Hamas, but didn&#8217;t oppose the payments and even lobbied American lawmakers not to sanction Qatar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">In 2018, Netanyahu&#8217;s administration came up with a plan, according to the New York Times. As part of a peace agreement with Hamas, Qatar would bring millions into Gaza to distribute to Gazan families, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Israeli security officials would meet with a Qatari diplomat at the border between Israel and Jordan, according to the New York Times report.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">They would then drive him past the border crossing and into Gaza, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Though the money was meant for Gazan civilians, Western intelligence determined that Hamas was taking money from the funds to use themselves, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">The propped-up peace lasted until October 7, when Hamas fighters launched a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/why-is-hamas-attack-on-israel-like-911-in-america-2023-10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">terror attack<\/a> across the Israeli border. The militants killed about 1,200 people and took dozens more hostage, Israeli officials said.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Israel has since responded with a massive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/israel-using-big-bombs-weighing-1-000-to-2-000-pounds-gaza-report-2023-11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">bombing and ground campaign in Gaza<\/a>. About 17,000 people in Gaza have been killed, according to Hamas-led Gazan health authorities.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Though a short ceasefire allowed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/freed-israeli-captives-hamas-terrified-idf-airstrikes-would-kill-them-2023-12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">hostage exchange<\/a> between Hamas and Israel, the fighting has since continued.<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/world\/israel-drove-suitcases-stuffed-with-cash-into-gaza-to-keep-hamas-in-power-nyt\/ar-AA1llqiy\">https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/world\/israel-drove-suitcases-stuffed-with-cash-into-gaza-to-keep-hamas-in-power-nyt\/ar-AA1llqiy<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-199751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=199751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199751\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=199751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=199751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=199751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}