to the restrictions and discriminatory regulations.304 The Israeli government
has subsequently targeted them directly through laws designed to cut
them off from foreign funds. The ‘Foreign Government Funding Law’
passed in 2011 imposes invasive reporting requirements such as quarterly
reports on any foreign funding they receive and accounts of any oral or
written undertakings in relation to foreign funders. As every NGO in Israel
is already compelled by law to publicly disclose its sources of funding,
this law is a superfluous measure designed to negatively impact NGOs by
imposing additional restrictions that could discourage foreign funders.305
Further proof of its discriminatory nature is revealed by the specific
exemptions written into the law for “the World Zionist Organization, the
Jewish Agency for Israel, the United Israel Appeal, the Jewish National
Fund and their subsidiary corporations from its provisions.”306 The effects
of the discrimination were compounded by the Transparency Bill passed
in 2016 which compels NGOs receiving over 50 percent of their funding
from foreign sources, such as international aid organizations, to “indicate
this on every document, website, sign or publication that they issue and
in all communication with officials.”307 Amnesty International decried the
stipulations of the bill as indicating “a politically-motivated stigmatizing of
organizations that oppose Israeli government policies and practices” that
appears “designed to have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and
association inside Israel.”308 Evidence to this effect was later provided by a
list released by the Justice Ministry showing that of the 27 NGOs explicitly
targeted by the bill, 25 were left-wing and primarily distinguishable by their
criticism of government policies and advocacy for human rights.309
Other bills proposed in 2011 and 2013 sought to severely restrict or heavily
tax international funding to organizations on grounds such as their refusal
to recognize Israel as a ‘Jewish and democratic state,’ supporting boycotts of
Israel, or calling for prosecution of officials or Israeli soldiers in international
304 Adalah, “Foreign Government Funding Law” – Law on Disclosure Requirements for Recipients of
Support from a Foreign State Entity, 2011. Available at: https://www.adalah.org/en/law/view/497
305 Ibid.
306 Ibid.
307 Civicus, Alert on Israel: NGO ‘Transparency’ Law part of wider trend to silence dissent, 29 July 2016.
Available at: http://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-resources/news/856-alert-on-israel-ngotransparency-law-part-of-wider-trend-to-silence-dissent
308 Amnesty International, Israeli Government must cease intimidation of human rights defenders,
protect them from attacks, 12 April 2016. Available at: https://www.amnesty.nl/nieuwsportaal/pers/
israeli-government-must-cease-intimidation-human-rights-defenders-protect-them-at
309 Yonah Jeremy Bob, Gil Hoffman, Lahav Harkov, NGOs hit back: Im Tirzu says NGO list shows European
anti-Semitism, The Jerusalem Post, 6 February 2016. Available at: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/
Exclusive-Almost-all-organizations-targeted-in-Israeli-NGO-bill-are-left-wing-455751
85
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents