A security contractor serving the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has hired a lobbying firm tied to Donald Trump as the president’s proposed peace deal for Gaza puts the controversial aid distribution outfit’s future in doubt.
UG Solutions inked a lobbying contract in late August with Ballard Partners, the firm that previously employed Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles and Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to a disclosure form filed Friday.
Ballard help the firm navigate a variety of business opportunities, including its future in Gaza, a company spokesperson said in a statement.
“Our retaining of Ballard Partners will ideally help us understand how various parts of the U.S Government may view the role of private security firms in a post-war Gaza, as well as in other parts of the world struggling with conflict, and we shall make business decisions accordingly,” the spokesperson said.
UG Solutions provides armed security at food distribution sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The U.S.-based and Israeli-backed nonprofit has been given a leading role in the distribution of food to starving Palestinian civilians — despite the fact that hundreds of aid-seekers have been killed under Israeli fire on routes to distribution points.
A peace proposal touted by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes no mention of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, leaving the group’s fate uncertain if the plan goes through. With the security contractor’s business under threat, Ballard could help UG Solutions buttress its presence in Washington. The North Carolina-based company was founded by a Green Beret veteran and employs retired special forces veterans to staff its Gaza mission.
Trump’s plan was formally unveiled Monday after circulating in diplomatic circles last week. It calls for the distribution of aid “through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party.”
A group of independent experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council has described the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as being “created by Israel” and lacking the impartiality expected of humanitarian groups, charges the group denies. The group says it has distributed more than 176 million meals while operating under dangerous conditions in a war zone.
Democrats in Congress have also slammed UG Solutions for hiring members of the Infidels Motorcycle Club, a self-professed anti-“jihadist” biker group whose members sometimes sport Crusader tattoos. One U.S. representative dubbed the motorcycle club an Islamophobic hate group.
In a statement posted to its website Monday, UG Solutions said that it would be willing to work with the proposed “Board of Peace” — to be helmed by Trump and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair — that would oversee an interim authority in Gaza.
“Today’s press conference with President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu signals that peace is finally near. UG Solutions remains committed to supporting the humanitarian relief effort in Gaza and to delivering security to aid delivery work that respects the Gazan people and understands the concerns of the Israeli people,” the company said.
Despite persistent criticism of the relationship between the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and Israel, Ballard’s disclosure form says that UG Solutions does not have ties with any foreign countries.
The form asserts that no foreign entity “directly or indirectly, in whole or in major part, plans, supervises, controls, directs, finances or subsidizes” the company’s activities.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and Ballard Partners did not respond to requests for comment.
In a statement about its hiring of Ballard Partners, a spokesperson for UG Solutions said that the company’s work for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was “one of many of our ongoing efforts,” but the company was interested in business opportunities outside the Middle East.
“UG Solutions has a wide range of service offerings, to include executive protection, security training, and a North Carolina facility that can be utilized by private and public sector organizations,” the company spokesperson said. “The hiring of a Washington, DC-based lobbying firm is a common business practice to better understand what business opportunities may exist within the broad US Government space, how various arms of the government may be viewing different foreign partners that could be interested in UG Solutions’ services, and what efforts and initiatives competitor companies may be undertaking.”
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