Much of the misinformation about Israel that finds its way into the mainstream press originates with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) devoted to defaming the Jewish state. These NGOs, generally Israeli or Palestinian, receive funding from a variety of European organizations, which in turn receive public funds from their governments. Gerald Steinberg explains:

During its first decade, Zochrot was a fringe NGO with little impact. The rapid rise in the visibility of its activities . . . as well as mainstream media coverage were mainly due to a significant increase in funding, primarily originating from European governments. . . . [T]he funding processes are generally not subject to the norms of accountability and transparency and constitute a significant “democratic deficit.”

By funding [these] organizations . . . European governments have become enablers of the NGOs’ radical agenda. These activities and overall agendas do not advance the stated objectives of democracy and human rights and are often incompatible with declared European foreign-policy objectives.

With the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program damaged, and its regional influence diminished, the U.S. must now prevent it from recovering, and, if possible, weaken it further. Benjamin Baird argues that it can do both through economic means—if Congress does its part:

Legislation that codifies President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” policies into law, places sanctions on Iran’s energy sales, and designates the regime’s proxy armies as foreign terrorist organizations will go a long way toward containing Iran’s regime and encouraging its downfall. . . . Congress has already introduced much of the legislation needed to bring the ayatollah to his knees, and committee chairmen need only hold markup hearings to advance these bills and send them to the House and Senate floors.

They should start with the HR 2614—the Maximum Support Act. What the Iranian people truly need to overcome the regime is protection from the state security apparatus.

Next, Congress must get to work dismantling Iran’s proxy army in Iraq. By sanctioning and designating a list of 29 Iran-backed Iraqi militias through the Florida representative Greg Steube’s Iranian Terror Prevention Act, the U.S. can shut down . . . groups like the Badr Organization and Kataib Hizballah, which are part of the Iranian-sponsored armed groups responsible for killing hundreds of American service members.

Those same militias are almost certainly responsible for a series of drone attacks on oilfields in Iraq over the past few days