Our government gave more than $1.5 million to a nonprofit group linked to pro-terror Palestinian universities. Is this really what our leaders should be doing with taxpayer funds?

From The Federalist. The Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded $1,508,888 between 2010 and 2022 to a research institution with close ties to two Palestinian universities that are hotbeds for terrorism.

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The Palestinian American Research Center (PARC) has maintained a close relationship for years with Birzeit University and An-Najah National University, located in the West Bank cities of Birzeit and Nablus, respectively. PARC has taken at least two delegations to both universities and even hosted a conference at Birzeit. Groups of Hamas affiliates have been arrested at both schools within the last several months, and Hamas-affiliated parties hold majorities on both universities’ student councils.

In addition to the Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities, PARC is funded via a federally-approved passthrough organization called Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC), which receives funding from the State Department, the U.S. Department of Education, the Smithsonian Institution, and private foundations, according to its website. …

PARC’s support for Birzeit University was made clear when it sent delegations there in May of 2022 and 2023 “to foster connections and expand research collaboration.” The school is also listed under “Orgs on Palestine” on PARC’s website, implying that the group endorses the university’s scholarship.

Four of the 21 members listed on PARC’s “Who We Are” page either currently work at or have previously worked at Birzeit University, one is codirecting a Birzeit University project, and an additional member earned a degree there. A PARC-sponsored panel at the 2023 Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Annual Meeting was organized by a Birzeit University professor.

Less than two weeks before Hamas attacked on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping more than 200, Israeli security forces arrested eight suspects from a terrorist cell at Birzeit University who had planned to carry out an “immediate” terrorist attack. …

In addition to its ties with Birzeit, PARC appears to maintain close ties with An-Najah National University, which Hamas calls a “greenhouse for martyrs.” Hamas member Qais Adwan, former head of the An-Najah student council from the Islamic Bloc, also headed the Qassam Brigades in the northern West Bank.

In January 2024, Israeli security forces arrested nine students from an An-Najah Hamas student cell. …

Like Birzeit University, An-Najah is also listed on PARC’s website under “Orgs on Palestine,” implying that PARC recommends An-Najah’s scholarship. …

What do you think of PARC and the universities it’s tied to? Share your thoughts and prayers below.

(Excerpt from The Federalist. Photo Credit: Latrach Med Jamil on Unsplash)