Did Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction Minister Mohammad I. Shtayyeh ask Obama to use the IRS to target pro-Israeli groups?
That is the question Rick Richman of Commentary magazine is asking.
He believes it is possible because of things Shtayyeh said to then-head of the PLO Steering and Monitoring Committee, Saeb Erekat in 2009:
We should focus on the government incentives to settlers: loans without interest, land for free, agricultural subsidies in the Jordan valley. We can’t stop a pregnant lady from having a baby, but look at what we can do. We should look at the 501(c)3 organizations in the States that make donations to settlers. Let the U.S. administration investigate this.
The first part of Shtayyeh’s statement regarded Israeli government incentives, which are no longer viable because Israel ended them “during the Bush administration.”
But the focus on 501(c)3 organizations is another story altogether, given the recent IRS scandal and evidence that the IRS singled out pro-Israel groups such as Z Street, which is now suing the agency over its failure to grant 501(c)3 status.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins
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