The Israeli Cabinet recently voted to support an anti-NGO bill designed by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and other leaders of the settler Jewish Home and Likud parties. While the pretext for this bill is greater “transparency,” what it really does is create a series of new hoops that organizations that criticize Israeli government policy must now jump through or face huge fines. Targeted to progressive organizations, especially human rights organizations, that receive foreign government funding, the bill deliberately avoids requiring funding transparency of right-wing and settler organizations, which receive millions each year from foreign individuals.
Read NIF’s Statement against the bill here:
Statement from NIF on Cabinet Passage of ‘Transparency Bill’
Read the New York Times op-ed by leading human rights attorney Michael Sfard here:
Israel’s Human Rights Activists Aren’t Traitors
Read the Washington Post editorial against the bill here:
A Danger to Israeli Democracy
Read the Forward op-ed by NIF CEO Daniel Sokatch here:
The Right Isn’t Shy About Influencing Israel. Why Is the Left?
Read the JTA op-ed by NIF VP Naomi Paiss here:
Proposed Israeli NGO Law is Hypocritical Attack on Left
Further Resources:
Israeli Right Goes After Israeli Left in Brawl Over NGOs and Art, Washington Post — Read more
Israel, Mired in Ideological Battles, Fights on Cultural Fronts, NY Times — Read more
Peace Now Report on Lack of Transparency in Funding for Israel’s Ultranationalist NGOs — Read more
Haaretz Series on Hidden Subsidies for Settlers — Read more
Israel’s New NGO Bill – What It Is and What It Means — Americans for Peace Now Backgrounder and Analysis of Legislation
Text of Legislation (in Hebrew) — Read more (PDF)
Statement by the American Jewish Committee — Read more
Statement by the ADL — Read more
Forward Column: The Hypocrisy of Claiming That Foreign-Funded NGOs Hurt Israeli Democracy — Read more
An additional statement by the ADL — Read more
Press Release by the Embassy of the United States — Read more
URJ’s Statement — URJ President: We’re Opposed to Israeli Legislation on NGOs — Read more