Israel NGO bill, seen as targeting left-wing groups, becomes law

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

World | Mon Jul 11, 2016 6:33pm EDT

Israel NGO bill, seen as targeting left-wing groups, becomes law

JERUSALEM | BY JEFFREY HELLER

Israel adopted a law on Monday that critics say targets Israeli rights groups critical of the right-wing government's policies and which supporters see as a blow against foreign interference in their country's affairs.

Called a "transparency bill" by its sponsor, far-right Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, it will require NGOs to give details of overseas donations if more than half their funding comes from foreign governments or bodies such as the European Union.

The United States and European Union have raised their concerns publicly and privately about the legislation, which passed its third and final reading in a sometimes stormy parliament session by a vote of 57-48.

Opponents of the law say it is discriminatory because it is mainly groups that oppose the policies of Israel's administration towards Palestinians which receive money from foreign governments and the EU.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-ngo-idUSKCN0ZR2JB

[geek tragedy]

1. the law doesn't cover donations by wealthy foreign individuals.

call it the "Shelly Adelson" loophole

[aranthus]

5. That should be closed. n/t

[Israeli]

6. LOL ......

....good one geek tragedy.

[shira]

10. Call it the George Soros loophole too. That should be closed. n/t

[Little Tich]

2. NGO bill’s hit list: 23 out of the 25 organizations are left-wing

Source: Times of Israel, June 2, 2016

No right-wing groups on list of organizations receiving foreign state funding, which does include B’Tselem, Breaking the Silence, Yesh Din

Out of 25 non-governmental organizations currently targeted by the so-called NGO bill making its way through the legislation process, 23 of them are left-wing organizations and two are non-affiliated.

The list includes prominent human rights groups such us B’Tselem, Breaking the Silence, Ir Amim, Yesh Din, and the Public Committee Against Torture. No right-wing groups are included in the list.

According to the bill, sponsored by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) and which has already passed its first reading, any NGO receiving over 50 percent of its funding from a foreign government must include details of its funding in all official and promotional documents, including online. The legislation also demands that members of such groups wear tags identifying themselves when inside the Knesset.

Critics say the bill singles out left-wing groups, as right-wing organizations are primarily funded by private donors, and is a veiled effort to silence organizations that are often critical of Israeli government policy. The release of the list, on which 92 percent are left-wing NGOs, contributes to that suspicion.

Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/ngo-bills-hitlist-23-out-of-the-25-organizations-are-left-wing/

[Little Tich]

3. this law is more similar to the Russian foreign agent law than the US Foreign Agents Registration

Act (FARA).

If the FARA was applied to Israel, then not a single NGO that's targeted by the Israeli NGO law would be affected. The results of applying the Russian law would probably have the same effects as the Israeli NGO law.

Welcome to Russia...

[shira]

8. It's neither like FARA or the Russian bill...

Russia’s NGO law allows the government at its discretion to shut down foreign-funded organizations and fine and imprison those organizations’ employees.

https://ottomansandzionists.com/2016/01/14/why-the-ngo-bill-does-and-doesnt-matter/

Your posts read like a cross between Pravda and the Onion.

[Little Tich]

12. A danger to Israeli democracy

Source: Washington Post, January 2

ISRAEL, SURROUNDED not only by threats to its existence but also by governments and movements that practice tyranny, is a stubbornly free society. While its democracy is imperfect and rowdy, the bedrock commitment has remained during years of intense conflict. That commitment is precisely why Israel’s parliament should reject proposed legislation that would stigmatize nongovernmental organizations that receive funding from overseas. The proposal reflects the kind of tactic that Russia and China have employed to squelch dissent, and it is not in keeping with Israel’s core values as a democratic state.

---

President Vladimir Putin of Russia has made NGO groups register as “foreign agents,” as if they were enemies of the state. In China, the new restrictions on nongovernmental organizations will forbid support from abroad and give oversight to the security apparatus. In both cases, dissent is being purposefully silenced, and valuable services will be denied to people who need them. Israel should not allow itself to be lumped with these regimes.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-danger-to-israeli-democracy/2016/01/02/22f90a2e-af3d-11e5-b711-1998289ffcea_story.html

Sure, it's not exactly like the Russian foreign agent law, but it's a big step towards making Israel more like Russia.

[shira]

13. Ridiculous. The article I cited demonstrates how silly this is.

Besides, do you realize what NGO actually stands for? If so, why are these NGO's funded mostly by foreign governments? The whole point is that they're supposedly NON-governmental orgs.

[Little Tich]

14. It seems as if you're holding the minority view.

This NGO law is indeed pretty bad for Israel's democracy.

[shira]

15. What's bad for Israel's democracy is other nations attempting to change...

...Israeli policy in defiance of the Israeli electorate. Israel's NGO's shouldn't be mostly financed by foreign governments, and rather than try to put pressure on Israel from the outside, they should be working on changing Israeli attitudes inside.

[aranthus]

4. Left wing groups have unfairly targeted Israel for decades.

so why is anyone surprised? Besides, what's wrong with requiring groups to state where they get their funding? I wish there was more of that in the US.

[shira]

9. As long as NGO's only incite against Jews, they're okay with Israel bashers. n/t

[Israeli]

7. Knesset passes NGOs law amid opposition

Justice Minister Shaked's 'transparency bill' passes second and third readings by a 57-48 vote; initial requirement for representatives of NGOs that receive foreign funding to wear identification tags dropped.

Associated Press, Reuters|Published: 12.07.16

The Knesset passed a controversial law Monday that increases the regulation of many Israeli human rights NGOs. The law was approved in the second and third readings by a vote of 57 to 48.

Called a "transparency bill" by its sponsor, far-right Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, it will require NGOs to give details of overseas donations if more than half their funding comes from foreign governments or bodies such as the European Union. In practice, the law will affect liberal groups almost exclusively because hawkish groups in Israel largely rely on donations from wealthy individuals, which are exempt.

(snip)

Opponents of the law argued that the Netanyahu government was trying to target liberal human rights organizations that are critical of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians.

MK Robert Ilatov of the hard-line nationalist Yisrael Beytenu party said he co-sponsored the law because "intervention in Israel's internal affairs is not acceptable."

(snip)

During a debate late Monday that lasted several hours, Israeli opposition lawmakers heaped criticism on the legislation even though it had been toned down.

Opposition MK Nachman Shai of the Zionist Union party said, "We will pay for this damage for many generations."

"The NGO law ... is indicative, more than anything, of the budding fascism creeping into Israeli society," opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) told reporters hours before the vote.

(snip)

Other opposition lawmakers compared the measure to authoritarian policies in Russia and Saudi Arabia.

The anti-settlement group Peace Now announced it will challenge the law at the Supreme Court.

"While the law will delegitimize left-wing organizations, pro-settler NGOs who receive millions of dollars in foreign donations without any transparency will remain unaffected," the group said in a statement.

"It is a law whose only aim is to silence and mark those who dare to voice criticism of the government or against settlements," it added.

Continued @ :
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4827203,00.html

[Israeli]

11. U.S. Warns 'NGO Law' Could Have 'Chilling Effect' on Israel's Civil Society

Critical comments from U.S. come after EU issued a similar warning of the effects of the 'NGO Bill.'

Barak Ravid Jul 12, 2016

The U.S. voiced severe criticism Tuesday of a new Israeli law that targets left wing organizations. The so-called NGO Law, officially named the Transparency Law and passed into law Monday, could have a "chilling effect" on the activities of civil society organizations in Israel, the U.S. State Department said.

John Kirby, the spokesperson for the State Department, said that though a number of the White House's concerns that were voiced before Jerusalem were addressed in the law's final wording, the U.S. is "still very concerned about the impact this law might have on the worthwhile activities of Israeli NGOs."

He further said that U.S. President Barack Obama has said on numerous occasions that freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, civil society and the ability to voice dissent and criticism are hallmarks of a healthy democracy.

The law, which passed its second and third readings 57-48, mandates special reporting requirements for nongovernmental organizations that get most of their funding from foreign governments, and, according to critics, disproportionately targets human rights organizations.

read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.730547