Page 11 - Aruba Today

WORLD NEWS A11
Monday 28 December 2015

Israeli ministers approve new restrictions on dovish groups

JOSEF FEDERMAN ency. Israel’s newly-appointed Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked, 39, attends a ceremony welcoming
Associated Press The bill requires organiza-
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli tions that receive more her at the Justice Ministry, in Jerusalem. Israeli Cabinet ministers have given preliminary
Cabinet ministers on Sun- than half of their funds
day gave preliminary ap- from a foreign govern- approval to a bill that would impose restrictions on nonprofit groups that receive foreign funding,
proval to a bill that impos- ment or entity to declare
es new disclosure require- their sources of funding in drawing accusations that it is meant to crack down on government critics. The bill, proposed
ments on nonprofit groups reports and parliamentary
that receive foreign fund- discussions. Their activists by Shaked, would affect organizations that receive more than half their funding from a foreign
ing — drawing accusa- also will be required to
tions it is cracking down wear special tags when government. (AP Photo/Gali Tibbon, Pool)
on pro-peace groups, rat- working in Israel’s parlia-
tling relations with Europe ment. All nonprofit groups would undermine Israel’s
and deepening an in- are already required to image as a democratic
creasingly toxic divide be- file quarterly disclosure and pluralistic country.
tween liberal and hawkish reports, regardless of their The ambassador was re-
Israelis. political leanings. ported as saying the bill is
Critics said the regulations Amir Fuchs of the Israel De- better suited for despotic
are meant to stifle dovish mocracy Institute, a non- regimes since it aims to
organizations critical of partisan think tank, said discriminate against gov-
Prime Minister Benjamin the additional measures ernment critics. The EU’s
Netanyahu’s government are “likely to damage the local office declined to
policies toward the Pal- functioning of civil society comment on the report.
estinians, since such non- organizations, which pro- Groups affected by the bill
profits tend to rely heavily vide many beneficial so- said they were being un-
on donations from Euro- cial service, educational, fairly singled out and not-
pean countries. environmental and wom- ed that hard-line groups,
In contrast, pro-govern- en’s rights activities.” including Im Tirtzu and or-
ment and nationalistic With Israel mired in a wave ganizations that support
nonprofit groups tend to of near-daily violence with Jewish settlers in the West
rely on wealthy private the Palestinians, hard-line Bank, are exempt.
donors, who are exempt lawmakers and activist “If the minister of justice
from the measures under groups have been step- is truly interested in trans-
the bill. The legislature is ping up the pressure on parency, she must first
expected to approve the dovish opponents. Earlier and foremost promote
bill as early as this week. this month, a nationalistic legislation requiring right-
Opposition leader Isaac activist group called Im wing organizations to
Herzog quickly blasted Tirtzu launched a fierce expose the millions they
the bill as a “muzzling law” video campaign that receive from private do-
that would bring about accused human rights nors abroad and from
“thought police.” groups of being spies and the state budget,” said
The bill, proposed by foreign agents. Peace Now, a group that
Justice Minister Ayelet Such sentiments have opposes Israeli settlement
Shaked and approved by tested Israel’s democratic construction on occu-
a committee of ministers, ideals at a time when the pied lands claimed by the
also dealt a new setback government is facing pub- Palestinians.q
to already strained rela- lic anger over the continu-
tions with the European ing violence and growing
Union, which funds a va- international criticism of its
riety of nonprofit groups. policies toward the Pales-
Israeli leaders have been tinians. This sense of isola-
outraged over the EU’s re- tion is fueling what some
cent decision to require la- say is a siege mentality
bels on imported products that perceives opposition
made in West Bank settle- activists as the enemy.
ments. “I expect the Euro- Israel’s Army Radio said
pean Union to respect the Sunday that it had ob-
democratic decisions of tained an internal Europe-
Israel,” said Shaked, who an Union document quot-
has said the bill is merely ing the EU ambassador as
meant to ensure transpar- telling Shaked that her bill