Transparency bill for NGOs advances in Israel

Earlier this month, a nationalistic activist group called Im Tirtzu launched a fierce video campaign that accused human rights groups of being spies and foreign agents.

Both the United States and European Union are significant funders of human rights, civil rights and social equality non-profits in Israel. This sense of isolation is fueling what some say is a siege mentality that perceives opposition activists as the enemy.

From the point of view of advocacy groups, the bill is a unsafe step that would put Israel in a category with the likes of Russia, Turkey and neighbouring Egypt, which often struggle to accept internal criticism and have banned some NGOs. The ambassador was reported as saying the bill is better suited for despotic regimes since it aims to discriminate against government critics. The EU’s local office declined to comment on the report.

The organisation Breaking the Silence, comprised of former soldiers who oppose Israel’s actions in the occupied territories, said the timing of the bill was meant to distract attention from the charging of suspects arrested in connection with the arson attack on a Palestinian family in the West Bank village of Duma. They say the measure is a blatant attempt to stifle government critics.

Matan Peleg, director of Im Tirtzu, said European organizations “give small organizations in Israel super power”. We will not forget your heroic acts and sacrifice, and we will talk about you with all future generations. An investigation published by the liberal daily Haaretz newspaper, December 7, said US donors have pumped more than $200 million into Jewish West Bank settlements in recent years.

Last week, angry Muslims also threw rocks and firebombs on Israeli soldiers near the separation wall in the West Bank, reports said.

The incident took place at a gas station near the Hawara checkpoint, south of the city of Nablus, according to the Al Jazeera news organization and ABC News. Troops who were at the scene opened fire and killed both assailants.

In the first incident, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker approached the entrance to an industrial zone in the Ariel settlement and stabbed two security guards, wounding them moderately, before they shot and killed him.

A wave of violence since the start of October has claimed the lives of 136 people on the Palestinian side, 19 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean.

“For these reasons, whenever an Israeli leader tries to promote the plans in E1, the global community strongly condemns them, ” the group’s report said.

The Palestinians, for their part, say the tensions are at root the result of almost 70 years of Israeli occupation and a lack of hope for gaining independence and frustration over repeated failures in peace efforts.