Thanks to the Internet, a hard-working stay-at-home staff, and topics that never, never let up, the Middle East Forum is busier than ever. Tehran continues to arm, ISIS resurges, Turkey goes rogue, the price of oil collapses, illegal Middle Eastern migrants stream to the West, and Islamists make advances.
Middle East Insider daily – Our Washington resident fellow, Micah Levinson, publishes each weekday news about eight key developments. Even the best-informed observer will rarely ever know more than one or two of them. To sign up for these updates, click here.
Promoting an Israel Victory over the Palestinians – The Israel Defense Forces unveiled a new work-plan, “Momentum,” in part inspired by our Israel Victory Project.
We sued the Tel Aviv Municipality after it removed our billboards with the slogan, “Peace is only made with defeated enemies,” a play on Yitzhak Rabin’s 1993 justification for the Oslo accords, that peace is made with “unsavory enemies.” Anti-Zionist columnist Gideon Levy of far-left Haaretz lamented our success: “The fact that Tel Aviv … ordered the posters removed doesn’t mean the message has been erased. It is deeply inscribed in our society.” We are currently appealing the billboards case to the Israeli Supreme Court.
Impeding Islamist lobbying of Congress – We successfully exposed the terrorism links of U.S.-based Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), and its sister organization Helping Hand for Relief and Development, and prevented the groups from weakening counter-terrorism laws on Capitol Hill. After sharing our research on the groups with Department of Homeland Security officials, an ICNA official was indicted by federal prosecutors.
Cutting-off funding to biased universities – We worked with Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) to detail to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos the anti-American and anti-Israel bias at the University of Arizona’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies. The university’s support of the anti-Israel boycott movement triggered President Trump's December 11 Executive Order on Combating Anti-Semitism, putting it at risk of losing all its federal funding.
Previously, our research showing extreme bias at Georgetown’s Middle East studies programs was cited by Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA) in his letter to Secretary DeVos requesting a review of taxpayer funding of Georgetown.
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The COVID-19 crisis may have a silver lining by exposing the fragility of our society; this could awaken the West to the Islamist threat to Western civilization. I have made this argument and we’ll be making variations of this case in the months ahead.
If circumstances allow, we ask for your financial help (most easily by clicking here) so we can continue to do what we have always done: Promote American Interests.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel Pipes President
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PAYMENT OPTIONS
Please address all questions about contributions to MEF to Len Zimmerman, Zimmerman@MEForum.org or 215-546-5406 ext. 110.
There are several ways you can support the Forum:
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If you donate stock, please email us at donations@MEForum.org or call 215-546-5406 x104 to inform us of the gift so that we may thank you.
(4) Planned Giving: A gift in perpetuity enhances the Forum’s capabilities while allowing you to transfer more wealth to your heirs at a lower cost. Each of the following 4 methods serves a different purpose and fits a specific investment plan:
Charitable Bequest – to remove assets from a taxable estate and make a larger contribution than may be possible during one’s lifetime.
Life Insurance – to gain a charitable income tax deduction for the cash surrender value and premiums of a life insurance policy.
Retirement Plan – to reduce the size of a taxable estate, avoid income taxation on those funds, avoid income and estate taxes, and increase the amounts passing to heirs.
Charitable Trust – to see philanthropy in action, making transfers to heirs at a lower tax cost and designating beneficiaries to receive payments for life or a term of years. Three types of Charitable Trusts: Charitable Remainder Trust, Charitable Lead Trust, Retained Life Estate.
For more information on MEF's Legacy Society, please contact Len Zimmerman, MEF's director of development, at 215-546-5406 ext. 110 or Zimmerman@MEForum.org.
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTION INFORMATION
Benefits: We offer a wide range of benefits and gifts to donors, such as invitations to events (Click here for details.)
International Donations: International donations to the Middle East Forum in a non-U.S. currency are most easily done via PayPal, which draws on one’s credit card, debit card, or bank account. If you do not have PayPal, please contact Len Zimmerman at 215-546-5406 ext. 110 or Zimmerman@MEForum.org.
Nonprofit Status: The Middle East Forum is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, meaning donations are tax deductible within the United States.
United Way: Donations through United Way's Donor Choice Program, MEF’s Agency Code is 52445.
Combined Federal Campaign: The Forum is now included in the Combined Federal Campaign, available to Federal workers. Please see https://www.opm.gov/combined-federal-campaign/ for more details.
Political and Economic Analyses: Middle East Forum staff members are available on contract to do political and economic analyses.
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