Democratic Rep. Colin Allred of Texas, who is challenging Sen. Ted Cruz in November’s election, has publicly supported Israel while also receiving donations from several pro-Palestinian activists.
Following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, Allred said that his “support for Israel and its right to defend itself is unwavering,” but the congressman has accepted contributions over the years from individuals and organizations who take a less friendly stance toward the Jewish state. Individuals who blamed the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, encouraged people to join groups allegedly linked to Palestinian terror organizations, defended Israeli-designated terror groups, accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” and held high-level positions in anti-Israel organizations have all donated to Allred’s campaigns, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show.
Ian Haney López, a professor of law at the University of California Berkeley and a mentor of Allred, has given the congressman $1,000 since 2017, FEC records show. During a 2019 event at the Rutgers Center for Security, Race and Rights, Lopez encouraged attendees to get involved with Dream Defenders, listing them as among groups that are “creating space for a more radical imagination.” (RELATED: Dem Rep Running Against Cruz Has Broken Pledge To Voters Every Year Since Taking Office)
Dream Defenders is a left-wing racial justice organization that has openly praised the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) on social media. The PFLP is a U.S.-designated terror organization that has launched rockets at civilians, hijacked planes and ordered suicide bombings, according to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
“Freedom for the PFLP is the liberation of indigenous Palestine; free from Israeli colonial rule,” the organization tweeted in 2016.
Groups like Dream Defenders are “pulling Democrats to positions that will actually make a difference in your lives,” López said at the 2019 event.
Nayyer Ali, a physician and, as of February, a board member of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), has given Allred $2,100 since 2018, FEC records show. MPAC has, in the past, advocated for removing Hamas and Hezbollah from the United States’ list of designated terrorist organizations, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
MPAC also blamed Israel for creating the conditions that led to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks that claimed about 1,200 lives in Israel, according to a statement on its website.
Elaine Nonneman, founder and trustee of the Channel Foundation, also donated to Allred, according to FEC filings. The Channel Foundation supports anti-Israel activists through its Women’s Leadership Scholarship.
Lana Tatour, one recipient of the scholarship, praised a post on social media that characterized the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks as “Palestinians resisting violent occupation.” Hanan Elmasu, another recipient, worked for the Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association, which Israel designated as a terrorist organization in 2021 due to its alleged ties to the PFLP.
Elmasu’s organization also gave money to Madre, an anti-Israel women’s rights organization that defended six organizations designated as terrorists by the Israeli government.
Adelaide Gomer, another one of Allred’s donors and a philanthropist, gave over $4,000 to Allred, according to campaign finance records. She also signed a letter calling for a ceasefire in Israel and blaming the Jewish state for the initial terror attacks.
As we stand with Israel in their war against Hamas and work to free all hostages, we must also ensure that humanitarian needs in Gaza are met and all steps are taken to ensure the safety of civilians. I’m pleased to see this convoy of humanitarian aid allowed into the Gaza Strip.…
— Colin Allred (@ColinAllredTX) October 21, 2023
Allred has also attracted support from JStreetPAC. The organization runs a donation page for Allred and has donated large sums to his campaign, according to campaign finance records.
Though J Street, the nonprofit affiliated with JStreetPAC, positions itself as pro-Israel, it has advocated for restricting what American aid to Israel can be spent on, and Jeremy Ben-Ami, the organization’s president, has attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The organization called for a ceasefire in the conflict in a March 5 letter to President Joe Biden. J Street also receives funding from the Soros philanthropic network, according to Open Society Foundations. Allred attended a fundraiser held by J Street in October 2023.
In addition to backing from anti-Israel donors, Allred has also received significant support from individuals and groups supportive of the defund the police movement as well as from the Soros family, according to FEC records.
Gomer, López, J Street and the Allred campaign did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. Nonneman and Ali could not be reached for comment.
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