Biden administration faces criticism over Iranian funds amid Hamas attack on Israel

In the wake of an unexpected attack on southern Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas, social media users, particularly on the platform X (previously known as Twitter), have criticized the Biden administration. They believe its recent decision to release frozen Iranian funds might have indirectly played a role in the recent surge of violence in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the nation in a video, stated, “We are at war.”

Disturbing footage from the Israeli town of Sderot depict Palestinian militants targeting civilians, while rocket attacks from Gaza resulted in numerous casualties.

The online discourse intensified, referencing a U.S. decision to issue a waiver for the transfer of $6bn in previously frozen Iranian assets from South Korea to Qatar. This move enabled international banks to facilitate the transfer, aimed at securing the release of five American detainees in Iran. Many drew a line between this deal and the recent attacks, given Iran’s well-documented financial support for Hamas.

Prominent voices weighed in on the matter, including Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, who blamed Biden’s policies for enabling the attack.

“Israel is now under attack by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists. Iran has helped fund this war against Israel, and Joe Biden’s policies that have gone easy on Iran have helped fill their coffers,” he said. “We are going to stand with Israel as they root out Hamas, and we need to stand up to Iran.”

Israel is now under attack by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists. Iran has helped fund this war against Israel and Joe Biden’s policies that have gone easy on Iran have helped fill their coffers.

We are going to stand with Israel as they root out Hamas and we need to stand up to… pic.twitter.com/FENQtAxiDE

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) October 7, 2023

Afshine Emrani posted, “I’m sure the fact that Joe Biden gave $6,000,000,000 to Iran had nothing to do with Hamas declaring war on Israel on Shabbat.”

Similarly, conservative commentator Vince Mansfield suggested that the House Republicans should “open an investigation into how that $6 billion Joe Biden just sent to Iran was distributed. Specifically, did any of it go to Hamas before this latest attack on Israel.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert emphasized the importance of Israel as a U.S. ally and pointed out the potential consequences of the administration’s recent financial decisions regarding the Middle East.

Similarly, other voices, including Jack Posobiec and Mark Levin, reiterated how the administration’s approach might be indirectly facilitating conflicts in the region. Posobiec predicted that the funds would be used for terrorism in the Middle East and kidnapping. “This is exactly what we are seeing in Israel this morning,” he wrote.

Levin criticized Biden’s “appeasement of the Palestinian terrorists” and slammed him for the transfer of $6 billion “to the Iranian terror state, which arms these terrorists, contributed to this.”

Jake Wallis Simons, editor of The Jewish Chronicle, called out what he saw as the flawed US-led policy on Iran, stating, “Hamas is being funded and equipped by Tehran… which the US has been appeasing and enabling in recent months, as billions of dollars have flowed into the regime’s coffers.”