Puerto Rico suffers for Israhell

[yankeedoodle]

Billionaire Seth Klarman, donor to Israel causes, is one of the largest holders of Puerto Rican debt
https://israelpalestinenews.org/billionaire-seth-klarman-donor-israel-causes-one-largest-holders-puerto-rican-debt/

Puerto Rico has suffered under a borrowing crisis in which creditors scooped up bonds on the cheap and then procured an astronomical payout. This has led to widespread suffering. Seth Klarman, whose hedge fund has one of the largest holdings of Puerto Rican debt, has donated through the years to numerous Israel lobby groups that enable Palestinian suffering.

David Dayen reports in the The Intercept that Boston hedge fund billionaire Seth Klarman is the owner of one of the largest holdings of Puerto Rican debts (read full article below). This has been kept secret until now.

Dayen explains that Puerto Rico "has been mired in a borrowing crisis for years... Many [creditors] scooped up bonds on the cheap, seeking an astronomical payout by forcing the island to pay them back at par (or 100 cents on the dollar). This has led to widespread suffering."

Klarman is widely known to use his wealth to support Israel causes.

He's on on the board of advisors and a major donor to the Israel Project, which says it is "dedicated to changing people's minds about Israel through cutting-edge strategic communications. We don't attack the media, we become a trusted partner and resource – bringing integrity and facts to the coverage using proven strategies like building relationships, testing messages and giving journalists everything they need to get the story right." (Donating to this is tax deductible in the U.S., though it's hard to understand how it benefits the vast majority of American citizens.)

Numerous other Israel lobby organizations also get Klarman's money;  Rightweb reports that he donates to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (a spinoff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee), the neoconservative Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the Middle East Media Research Institute, Daniel Pipes'  Middle East Forum, and the David Project, which has opposed the construction of mosques in Boston.

RightWeb notes that Klarman's family foundation "has also supported a number of controversial Islamic groups, including the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, founded by Zuhdi Jasser, a controversial promoter of surveillance of Muslim communities. Klarman is also a prominent funder of the American Islamic Congress, an organization that the George W. Bush administration helped start."

According to Right Web, "Some observers have argued that Klarman's funding reflects a 'wedging' strategy, with Klarman calculation being to support 'Muslim and Arab-oriented front groups that advance pro-Israel interests while undermining the objectives of mainstream Muslim and Arab-American organizations.'"

Klarman cofounded Israel's newspaper The Times of Israel and donates to the pro-Israel media pressure group CAMERA. He is also chairman of Facing History and Ourselves, which develops classroom programs "to combat anti-Semitism," which often focuses on Israel. Klarman also helps fund the American Jewish Committee, whose slogan is "Advocating for Israel and the Jewish people."

Rightweb reports that Klarman's political giving also supports Israel:  Klarman was mentioned in an April 2015 New York Times piece that examined why Republicans are "more fervently pro-Israel than ever." The article linked such sentiment to being "partly a result of ideology, but also a product of a surge in donations and campaign spending on their behalf by a small group of wealthy donors." The piece revealed how Klarman contributed $100,000 to the 2014 Senate campaign of Tom Cotton (R-AR), a stringent hawk who has received strong support from numerous other major "pro-Israel" figures like Paul Singer and Bill Kristol.

Klarman also sometimes donates to Democrats; he backed Hillary Clinton for President.

Below is the Intercept article, which contains much more information about Klarman and about his connection to Puerto Rican debt:
https://theintercept.com/2017/10/03/we-can-finally-identify-one-of-the-largest-holders-of-puerto-rican-debt/