Zachor Legal Institute, an Israeli advocacy and legal group, has filed a lawsuit to compel Texas A&M University to share information regarding its funding.
In May 2018, the think tank filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, or an appeal for Texas A&M to disclose its funding sources, specifically Qatar or its proxies. Instead of complying with the request, Qatari lawyers from the Qatar Foundation, a state-supported NGO, intervened.
Qatar has given US $1 billion to American universities since 2011, and Zachor hopes to make a connection between Qatari funds and the “fondness for the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions.” on college campuses. The legal institute is focused on waging “a legal battle against anti-Israel movements in America,” specifically, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).
Since 2011, Qatar has awarded USD $225 million to Texas A&M University, according to Zachor. In addition, the Qatar Foundation has given money to Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Georgetown, Northwestern, and Virginia Commonwealth University, the group said. A branch of Texas A&M was established in 2003 in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
