The Trump administration is considering plans to sanction international financiers behind pro-Hamas protests, including prominent Qatari nationals with significant assets in the United States, according to the Free Beacon (a far-right newspaper with close ties to the Israel lobby and other right-wing forces), citing current and former US officials familiar with the internal discussions.

This move seeks to build on President Donald Trump's executive order issued last December, authorizing the deportation of international students involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and protests calling for an end to Israel's genocidal war on Gaza on college campuses across the United States.

The newspaper claims that instead of targeting protest participants, the administration will target their financiers.

It is noteworthy that during more than 17 decades of demonstrations, the US administration has been unable to produce a single piece of evidence, however flimsy, indicating that any of the protests were funded by foreign sources.

The administration could, for example, impose sanctions on foreign individuals it claims are supplying groups like Students for Justice in Palestine, and in cases where these individuals (the predators) hold US visas, it could revoke them.

The newspaper claimed that a senior US official, speaking at a secret hearing to discuss the ongoing deliberations, told it: "President Trump has made it a priority to ensure that Jewish students, indeed all students, feel safe and free from harassment on college campuses." He added: "To this end, his administration is taking a comprehensive approach, not only reviewing the visas and green cards of student instigators, but also, for example, pursuing the financiers of the protests wherever they may be."

These plans reflect the Trump administration's intent to clamp down on Palestinian students and their allies, whom the administration may accuse of being Hamas supporters, "by sanctioning their most prominent funders, including several former Qatari officials known for their ties to the Iran-backed group."

It's worth noting that former Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines claimed last summer, without any evidence, that Iranian government entities funded anti-Israel protests in the United States. Some Biden administration officials discussed similar plans to cut off foreign funding or protests, "according to a former US diplomat involved in the efforts then and now, who said the administration shelved the plans to avoid upsetting the Doha government, which was mediating peace talks between Israel and Hamas," according to the newspaper.

"This was on the table when I was there, but the previous administration was a bit reluctant to take extreme measures, like revoking visas," the diplomat said. "But that's not a problem for this administration, and we hear they're considering all options—from individual sanctions to revoking visas."

Those who advocate for banning all protests critical of Israel claim: "Anti-Semitism on campuses cannot be eradicated without eliminating its funding, and the funders are Qatar."

"The recent announcement closely mirrors policy proposals to target current and former foreign officials who fund Hamas in the United States, particularly those from Qatar, which continues to maintain close ties with Hamas and funds its operations," the newspaper reported.

According to the newspaper, one of the former officials who has drawn attention is Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, a prominent Qatari businessman and member of the royal family who served as Prime Minister of Qatar from 2007 to 2013.

Al Thani, along with former Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, owns the Maybourne Beverly Hills Hotel, a luxury hotel that has faced pro-Israel protests in recent months.

Some Republican members of Congress are working on parallel plans to target student groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine and other university organizations.