Maybe this will all work out. Maybe alarm over the appointment of Maher Bitar will turn out to have been unnecessary. But as of now, the appointment of anti-Israel BDS activist Maher Bitar, a Palestinian-American, to be the senior director of intelligence programs at the National Security Council, promises to be deeply disturbing. A previous Jihad Watch examination of his appointment is here, and a news article on the appointment is here: “Biden appoints Palestinian American to key intelligence role,” Israel Hayom, January 25, 2021.
Maher Bitar will be ideally situated in his new and important post to learn, for example, of American collaboration with Israel on moves to stop Iran’s nuclear program. Why should we assume he would not try to limit that collaboration, or to alert Iran about these moves, or might try to influence policy by focusing on international criticism of Israel’s “settlement building,” in an attempt to manufacture an unnecessary crisis between the allies, and making that crisis into a reason for America to threaten to cut back on military aid to Israel unless it were to stop enlarging or building settlements? Without knowing Maher Bitar, a Palestinian and a Muslim, shouldn’t we assume that he identifies with his own people, and while his outward demeanor may suggest a lack of bias and parti-pris, he may be a dab hand at assuming a sober mien of objectivity while being a master of deception? “War is deceit,” said Muhammad.
Bitar served under President Obama, the most anti-Israel President in history, whose want of sympathy for the Jewish state, and hostility to Prime Minister Netanyahu, were palpable. It’s reasonable to assume that Bitar, in his post as director for Israeli and Palestinian affairs in the National Security Council, faithfully followed – and shared—the anti-Israel animus of Barack Obama. He worked under a series of anti-Israel Obama appointees, includng Samantha Power when she was U.N. ambassador and National Security Advisor Susan Rice. Dennis Ross, a longtime Middle East peace-processing diplomat, has described Rice’s “combative” tone toward Israel — call it bullying – that unnecessarily worsened American-Israeli relations.
After Trump won in 2016, Bitar moved to a new position, working for Rep. Adam Schiff as a staff lawyer on the House Intelligence Committee; he took part in the first impeachment of President Trump. One wonders if Maher Bitar deliberately sought to work for a Jewish member of Congress as a way to reassure critics — he is playing a long game, and is politically ambitious — that there was not an antisemitic bone in his body. “If Adam Schiff supports him, why should we worry?”
…He earned his master’s degree at Oxford University, writing his dissertation on forced migration at the school’s Refugee Studies Center. He has worked with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Jerusalem.
Let me guess what Palestinian-American Maher Bitar wrote about in his dissertation. Could it have been about the Arabs who left Mandatory Palestine and Israel between 1947-1949, mainly because they were urged to leave by Arab leaders who insisted they should get out of the way of the invading Arab armies, so as not to be hurt in the ensuing battles, and then after the Arab victory, they could return home once the Jews had been either killed or expelled? Might Maher Bitar have left that part out about about Arabs being urged to leave by other Arabs, and considered those who left as the victims of “forced migration,” the very subject of his dissertation? Doesn’t that seem plausible?
Maher Bitar worked in Jerusalem for UNRWA, an organization riddled with scandal for years. In 2019, UN Secretary-General António Guterres accused UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl, and other agency officials, of engaging in “sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of authority, for personal gain, to suppress legitimate dissent, and to otherwise achieve their personal objectives.” Krahenbuhl had created a fake job as his “assistant” for his mistress, providing her with a very large salary, and reimbursement for expenses, so that the two of them could travel around the world together in business class and stay in luxury hotels, carrying on their affair at the expense of UNRWA’s unwitting donors.
UNRWA’s greatest scandal, however, is not about sex and money. The most scandalous and morally intolerable part of its operation is its inculcation of murderous hatred toward Jews, a hatred with which its schoolbooks are filled. So are its children’s television programs, where sweet-faced children sing songs about murdering Jews; they accompany their songs by miming stabbing motions with their tiny daggers.
This is UNRWA, an organization that Maher Bitar apparently found no fault with, chose to work for, and never subsequently denounced for the murderous antisemitism it fostered.
Since 2017, Maher served as general counsel for Democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee. As Rep. Adam Schiff’s top legal adviser, he was deeply involved in the first impeachment of then-US President Donald Trump.
As senior director for intelligence programs, Bitar will receive sensitive information from intelligence agencies and coordinate covert operations between the intelligence communities and the White House. The office of the senior director also houses the server that stores the most sensitive classified information.
Speaking to Politico, Schiff called Bitar “a superb choice,” saying, “I can’t think of anyone more suited to the role.”
No one “more suited” to be in charge of all the communications between the White House and the various intelligence services? You can’t think of anyone at all? How about curbing that enthusiasm, and saying – if you must, Adam Schiff – that his appointment “is a good choice” and leave it at that? No over-the-top stuff, please. I don’t think Adam Schiff, in his desire to loyally support a former staff member, quite grasps what a serious intelligence worry Maher Bitar presents. He has a long record of working for those with anti-Israel attitudes – from UNRWA, to Samantha Power (when she was the U.N. ambassador) to Susan Rice, to President Barack Obama. He will route to the White House all the intelligence that comes in from various sources — satellite photo, drones, human agents – both our own and those of allies including, of course, Israel.
Even more enthusiastic that Schiff about Maher Bitar’s appointment was Robert Malley, who responded in a tweet: “Can’t think of a better choice than Maher. The most professional, principled, dedicated public servant I’ve had the honor to work with, a wonderful colleague, and a dear friend.”
Robert Malley has been in and out of the government for decades. He’s the son of Simon Malley, an Egyptian Jewish Communist; Malley’s mother worked for the Algerian FLN, the terrorist group that has ruled Algeria ever since 1962. Malley is well known for advocating an American rapprochement with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Malley served as the Middle East director for Barack Obama’s National Security Council. Before that, under Clinton, Malley took part in the Israeli-Palestinian talks that failed; Clinton said the talks ended because Arafat refused to negotiate; Malley was the only American official who blamed the Israelis for the failure, even though Ehud Barak was prepared to give up nearly 100% of the West Bank. Malley wrote a piece in the New York Review of Books exculpating Arafat and attacking the “unreasonable” Israelis for not giving Arafat absolutely everything he demanded.
Then in 2008, Malley stopped advising the Obama presidential campaign on foreign policy after reports emerged that he had met with leaders of Hamas. Yet here he is again, having just been appointed a special envoy to Iran. It hardly need be said that he is all for lifting sanctions on Iran right away, and for returning to the 2015 nuclear deal without demanding any modification of its content. The Iranians are delirious with joy that they will be dealing with Robert Malley. The Biden appointments of Malley, and of Maher Bitar, whom Malley enthusiastically praised as “the most professional, principled, dedicated public servant I’ve had the honor to work with, a wonderful colleague, and a dear friend,” fill me with dread.
It’s not hard to see that putting Bitar in charge of the flow of intelligence into the White House ideally positions him to acquire a deep knowledge of what America’s various intelligence agencies, as well as those of her countries, allies and enemies alike, are doing in their own intelligence operations. Would our closest ally, Israel, want intelligence it is sending about Iran to the White House, or about its own plans and objectives in dealing with Iran, including possible military action either alone, or with the United States, to be seen by Maher Bitar? If Israel has been in the habit, under the Trump administration, to keep Washington abreast of its security collaboration with Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., and Egypt, would it want to continue the practice if that information passes through the office of Maher Bitar?
If you were Yossi Cohen, the head of Mossad, would you feel confident that information you sent to President Biden would not be seen by Maher Bitar, a Palestinian-American whom what you have reason to believe has sympathies with Iran and with the PA, or still worse, with Hamas? Might Bitar not leak to the media scare stories about “Israeli attempts to stir up a U.S.-Iran conflict”? Or about how “the Mossad stymies Iran’s peace overtures to the U.S.”? Won’t Bitar’s appointment result in Israel and the Gulf Sunni states being more reluctant to share information with the American government at the very moment when America, Israel, and the Gulf Sunni states should — more than ever before – be coordinating their efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear program and its regional aggression?
wth009 says
These people should not be allowed in America… even if they were born here. They are criminal entities that are a security threat not just to Israel but to America and the world.
mortimer says
Disagree. American citizens have a right to enter and live in the US. You are immoderate.
End PC says
Muslims have the legal right but should Americans ever want devout Muslims in any public office. Arguably they cannot even make a valid oath of allegiance to our Constitution: see Dr Stephen Kirby’s Islamic Doctrine versus the U.S. Constitution: The Dilemma for Muslim Public Officials
or see islamseries.org/islam-and-the-u-s-constitution-short-videos/
juleonly says
The problem with him goes FAR beyond just being a Muslim. MB/Hama/Iran/Qatar/even Turkey
Rob Porter says
mortimer – you were very polite and no doubt accurate because there are many Arab-American Christians who don’t share Maher Bitar views. However, one can consider with some sympathy his aversion to having in this position a Muslim whose first allegiance in this world us NOT the U.S. but Islam. For this reason no Muslim should be placed in high office in a Western country.
Pete says
Anyone who believes that Muhammud: a mass-murdering, lying, r@pist, slave-owner, polygamist wife beater, and pedophile, who instructed his disciples to drink camel ur!ne — anyone who believes that this guy is the “perfect man” — should be treated as criminally insane.
juleonly says
This is the stupidest most ignorant thing any president has ever done.This is entirely too dangerous for out country to allow and don’t National Security SAY anything. Doesn’t anyone know but us people out here watching the progress over the years!?
Maybe he will slip up a little and CAIR will think he is apostasy & a traitor and order him out. That is the best I can hope is for him to be branded traitor or at least someone could slant it that way.
Naildriver says
If the capital had been over-run by those concerned a traitor, Biden, was entering the White House, because he’d declared he intended to enable our enemies – and give them aid and comfort, they would have been correct.
Islam is this nation’s enemy because it is a ‘nation’ too, in addition to being a religion: a nation that is forever at war with us, our freedoms, culture and Constitution; owing to its ‘constitution’ the Koran.
I do understand the history that misleads so many, regarding the Treaty of Tripoli that they will trot out and some final say;, or other declarations from that misguided president early in out history; but, that history also clearly revealed Islam a major threat.
We went to war with the Barbary pirates because of their adherence to directives from Islam — to plunder and take slaves of sailors and passengers of American shipping and demand we pay them large sums for peace — and these Muslims declared Islam their reason for doing so.
Even the Trump administration failed upon understanding that historical reality, and failed take measures to protect American citizens from Islam’s current menace which grows daily, particularly with immigration to the USA of them.
Biden goes beyond mere ignorance upon Islam; and, the new president steps solidly into capitulation to Islam, with appointing this operative in a sensitive position, and dismantling what little protection Trump established with the so-called Muslim Ban, and it’s clearly treason, as I understand our Constitution.
americanpatriot says
Muslims will always use every kind of deceit by portraying Muslims either as perpetual victims or put the blame on other non-Muslim side by use of skillful arguments of deceptive and misleading words. Their only purpose is to buy time in order to gather more Islamic force to finally conquer non-Muslims by all means. In the main time, they will squeeze out more money or more concessions from ignorant non-Muslim world who are still not learning about true Islam. Palestinian issue is an intentionally prolonged problem of permanent jihad which will never be solved because they (Muslim side) want to keep it that way so that they can get more aid money for ever and claim victim all the time. They claim victim, portray as victim through international media managed by corrupt people so that they can stir up compassion from ignorant folks of the non-Muslim world. Which wealthy Muslim Arab country ever helped these Muslims? Only non-Muslim west did helped! What wealthy Muslim countries have been doing is providing secret help of every kind including money, training and weapons for more jihad in order to spread more Islam all over the world. Unbelievable!
mortimer says
Muslims are not of one opinion, because they are often poorly informed about Sharia law, but Sharia law is clear that jihad is the most important pillar of Islam. Fewer Muslims in the US are highly political than in other countries. They mostly want to succeed in their education and jobs.
gravenimage says
Even in the US, Mortimer, 51% of Muslims openly admit they want to impose brutal Sharia’ah law on us. I’m sjure the actual number is even higher.
And Muslims can want to get good jobs and still want to make us part of Dar-al-Islam–including by violence. Just look at the Muslim doctors and lawyers who have turned to Jihad. Further, what better than to reach a high position–as Maher Bitar has done–to further the cause of Islam here?
James Lincoln says
gravenimage,
To your point about muslims in the US and sharia law:
“Minneapolis Muslims: Sharia law better than American laws”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6QC_qEyl0Q&t=7s
gravenimage says
Thanks for that grim link, James.
CRusade says
70 countries argued for moslems because they believed in the fantasy of innocent moslems like you do. All of them lost their government, society, and experienced genocidal rape and murder exclusively at the hands of moslems. If you dont understand what this means and aren`t prepared to repel the invaders, you have no business in America,
juleonly says
Start a whispered rumor that he is a traitor and will actually be helping Israel
and UsA. Say you were told that was the actual reasoning.Thats the only reason he was allowed.
patrick healy says
I have not read to full article about this not unexpected Joe O’Bama appointment …. but
what was Israeli’s Prime Minister thinking about when, next to our ignoramus Boris The Buffon,
he congratulated Senile Biden on his “Victory”
mortimer says
Joe Biden is in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood. He and Obama made the Muslim Brotherhood their partners.
gravenimage says
Patrick, world leaders congratulating foreign leaders on their election is pro forma. It doesn’t indicate that this is necessarily the candidate they themselves preferred.
Thomas Hulting says
The END is near
. . . .
gravenimage says
Don’t surrender yet.
juleonly says
In reality, What can we do. This is urgent. We cannot riot and bomb or any of those sicko jihad thing but we must come up with a solution or have someone in Congress. I sure would like to talk to Tulsi Gabbard.I can’t even imagine why Biden would do this? WHY WOULD HE DO THIS?
gravenimage says
Jule, the first thing w ecan do is speak out-if enough good people do this, things *will change*. The idea that there is nothing between silence and rioting or worse is mistaken.
Anna Yelena says
What the US does NOT need is more Muslims in our government. What most people don’t understand Muslims have only one allegiance and it’s to Islam, not country but to Islam. Their agenda is to invade, breed like rats as Ariana Fallaci said years ago about Muslim invaders in Europe. Biden is a weak wishy washy individual being played like a Marionette with Obama holding the strings. The Democrats are going to continue what Obama started which was to ruin America. Putting a Muslim in such an important position is like putting the Fox to guard the hen house. The losers in this Democratic Leftist agenda are the American people.
Michael Copeland says
“We’re not American, we’re Muslim. We will not be part of the great American melting pot. … We want to turn them into Muslims.”
Sharifa Alkhateeb
North American Council for Muslim Women
https://gellerreport.com/2019/01/muslim-leader-convert-all-americans-2islam.html/
“Our number one and top priority is to protect and defend our community. It is not to assimilate and to please any other people in authority.”
Linda Sarsour
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2017/07/07/muslim-immigrants-must-not-assimilate-says-progressive-ally-linda-sarsour/
“I am a Muslim living in Britain, and I give my allegiance only to Allah.”
Sayful Islam (Ishtiaq Alamgir) 2004
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/terror-on-the-dole-6939907.html
“I will never be Danish … We will not integrate”
Muslim in Denmark
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2020/05/muslim-migrant-tells-danish-man-you-danes-are-being-exterminated-youre-like-animals-we-will-not-integrate
“We are Muslim first and Indian second. In the case where any law is against Islam, we are with Islam. We are not ready to follow any such law or constitution. We are not loyal to the country; we are rulers.”
https://3speak.online/watch?v=rairfoundation/brggghkt
“Assimilation is a crime against humanity!”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
gravenimage says
Spot on, Anna and Michael.
Lory Gustafson says
You put that so well Anna. All those points.
Alex says
The sad part of the story is that most Jews in America have elected president Biden. Now they know the difference, it would be too late when his presidency is over.
RANDALL ANDERSON says
A Muslim’s allegiance is, and always will be to Allah and Islam… as such he is an enemy of Israel and Jews, and of all Western Civilization. We are all INFIDELS, and if we do not bow down to his ‘god’, the punishment is the same. Biden and his DemocRats are therefore allied with Islam, because: ‘The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend’. All else is bullshiiit.
mortimer says
R.A., you are immoderate. Muslims are not of one mind as you suppose. Over one-third of Muslims are ‘cultural’ Muslims who do not practice Islam at all. That group of doubters is growing worldwide. Fewer and fewer Muslims every are cocksure about Islam. The year 2020 was particularly dissuasive for belief in the Koran and the standard Islamic narrative.
Guy Macher says
If I said I was a cultural Nazi, I think you would be suspicious. If you are not a practising Muslim, there is no need to identify as a Muslim.
James Lincoln says
Guy,
“Cultural” Nazi analogy – spot on…
Naildriver says
No you are incorrect, Mortimer; a Muslim by definition is a person who is a devotee of Islam.
Let’s be clear, the millions who are apostate are NOT Muslims and shouldn’t be classified ‘Muslims’.
This is the great betrayal of the US government and non-Muslim governments around the world.
Because, since as you full well know, Islam’s Koran, the hadiths, the schools of Islamic jurisprudence and sharia define what Islam is; therefore it isn’t up to individual non practicing Muslim to say what Islam is.
Those people who do not practice Islam should be informed they are not Muslims — or asked to make a choice.
The USA should see Islam as an enemy first and religion second; and declare all Muslims to be non-citizens; as they adhere alliegnece to another nation, Islam.
At he very least Muslims should be denied the things communists were denied in the USA.
It should not be non-Muslims who must assume one who calls himself Muslim is really my friend, because out government says so, and he doesn’t even understand all lthat ‘stuff’.
Old saying; ‘ignorance of the law is no excuse.’
Since Islam is effectively a nation, calling oneself a ‘person of the ummah ‘ or Muslim, does bring with it responsibilities — and culpability for actions of those who jihad and follow it correctly. Just like a guy who drives a bank robber to the bank — he is guilty of the crime as well if he was part of the plot. Islam is a criminal organization.
gravenimage says
True, Guy and Naildriver. And even Muslims who don’t petsonally turn to Jihad often support it. Morover, over half of Muslims even in the US openly say they want to impoase brutal Shari’ah law here.
And Mortimer, do you have evidence that Muslims as a whole are turning away from Jihad? I haven’t seen any indication of that.
Michael Copeland says
Some 40% of muslims in Iran have left Islam, though not all publicly.
David Wood has a video.
gravenimage says
Michael, I have heard this, and I am happy if this is the case. But Jihad world-wide does not appear to have dropped from anything I have seen. Iran itself is still a danger to the rest of the world.
juleonly says
They have not but the Muslim Bros (CAIR) are going all out for political Islam as conquest with Qatar, the MBs left in Egypt and Jordan and Hamas with help from Iran. I think this is the most dangerous thing ever to happen to USA.
gravenimage says
The Implications of Biden Appointing Palestinian-American Muslim Maher Bitar to Key Intelligence Post
…………………
Suicidal insanity.
drew webb says
“If Adam Schiff supports him, why should we worry?” If Adam Schiff supports him we should worry!!
OTTER says
If Biden is in power, the demographic most responsible for voting him in is young unmarried women.
Women like form over substance and fall for sweet words and ideals again and again. The US will be destroyed by woke women. The vote for women has been an empirical disaster. Women, because of evolutionary reasons, are not equipped to tell friends from foe. They think Muslims are the oppressed.
The result is that Muslim officials will occupy more important positions in the US and successfully subvert the country from within.
White women have also sharply reduced child bearing with the result that the West will not have young men to fight the Islamic hordes that are upon us.
It’s over.
gravenimage says
OTTER wrote:
If Biden is in power, the demographic most responsible for voting him in is young unmarried women.
………………………
Actually, political demographics broadly break down in a myriad of ways–red state/blue state, ethnicity, age, coast vs. heartland, urban vs. rural. In fact, the gender divide is less marked than many of these others. But all OTTER cares about is sex.
More:
Women like form over substance and fall for sweet words and ideals again and again. The US will be destroyed by woke women. The vote for women has been an empirical disaster. Women, because of evolutionary reasons, are not equipped to tell friends from foe. They think Muslims are the oppressed.
………………………
Joe Biden is not actually a woman. OTTER may have missed that bit.
Then, OTTER has claimed many times that white men–just white men–have to control white women.
If he wants to strip the franchise from women–and their ability to get an education, work outside the home, and the decision to have children or not, then he should consider Islam–the West will never control women to his taste. Bad dhimmis!
And I have pointed out both savvy women and clueless “woke” men to him–but he keeps hoping that readers here will forget about that, and think that women like Pamela Geller, Christine Douglas-Williams, and Marine Le Pen are unable to “tell friend from foe” for evolutionary reasons. Note that OTTER doesn’t bother to point out what evolutionary edge this would give women–but I don’t imagine he thinks that he need bother with any actual logic here.
More:
The result is that Muslim officials will occupy more important positions in the US and successfully subvert the country from within.
White women have also sharply reduced child bearing with the result that the West will not have young men to fight the Islamic hordes that are upon us.
It’s over.
………………………
Islam is not about race–in fact, there are white men who have converted to lslam, as well as men of color who oppose the horrors of Jihad.
I don’t think this is really about defending against Jihad; it is more just about controlling women–white women especially.
SJ says
WTF??? How did he get security clearance? Why didn’t anyone object?
Tug says
You are all misinformed. He’s not even Muslim.
gravenimage says
I have not seen Majer Bitar say he is not Muslim–and Muslims certainly claim him as such:
“12 Muslim faces in Biden administration”
List of Muslim Americans appointed by Joe Biden in his Admin:
7-Maher Bitar, Senior Director for Intelligence, White House National Security Council
http://muslimmirror.com/eng/here-is-a-list-of-muslims-appointed-to-key-posts-in-biden-administration/
If you have contrary information, please present it.