Tag israel approves law restricting human rights groups

Israel Approves Law Restricting Human Rights Groups

On Wednesday, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, approved a controversial law that restricts the activities of human rights organizations in the country. The law, known as the "Transparency Law," requires non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive more than 50% of their funding from foreign governments to disclose their sources of funding.

The law has been widely criticized by human rights groups and opposition parties, who argue that it is an attempt to silence and intimidate organizations that criticize the Israeli government's policies towards the Palestinians.

The law applies to organizations that are registered as "foreign agents" under the Israeli law, which means that they receive more than 50% of their funding from foreign governments. The law requires these organizations to disclose their sources of funding on their websites and in their annual reports.

The Israeli government has argued that the law is necessary to ensure transparency and accountability in the activities of NGOs, and to prevent foreign governments from exerting undue influence over Israeli politics.

However, human rights groups have argued that the law is a form of censorship and will have a chilling effect on their ability to criticize the Israeli government's policies. They also argue that the law is discriminatory, as it only applies to organizations that receive funding from foreign governments, and not to organizations that receive funding from Israeli sources.

The law has been criticized by many human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem. The law has also been condemned by many international governments, including the European Union and the United States.

The approval of the law is seen as a major blow to the human rights movement in Israel, and has raised concerns about the erosion of civil society and the rule of law in the country.

Reactions

• Amnesty International: "This law is a dangerous attack on the rights of human rights organizations to criticize the government and promote human rights. It is a clear attempt to silence and intimidate organizations that are critical of the Israeli government's policies."
• Human Rights Watch: "This law is a threat to the independence and effectiveness of human rights organizations in Israel. It is a form of censorship and will have a chilling effect on the ability of organizations to criticize the government's policies."
• B'Tselem: "This law is a blow to the human rights movement in Israel. It is a clear attempt to silence and intimidate organizations that are critical of the Israeli government's policies towards the Palestinians."
• Israeli opposition leader, Tzipi Livni: "This law is a mistake. It will harm the reputation of Israel and undermine the ability of human rights organizations to promote human rights in the country."

Background

The Israeli government has long been critical of human rights organizations that criticize its policies towards the Palestinians. In recent years, there have been several attempts to pass laws that restrict the activities of these organizations.

In 2011, the Israeli government passed a law that required NGOs to disclose their sources of funding if they received more than 50% of their funding from foreign governments. However, the law was later struck down by the Israeli Supreme Court as unconstitutional.

The current law, which was approved on Wednesday, is seen as a more restrictive version of the previous law. It requires NGOs to disclose their sources of funding on their websites and in their annual reports, and also requires them to provide detailed information about their activities and funding.

The law has been widely criticized by human rights groups and opposition parties, who argue that it is an attempt to silence and intimidate organizations that criticize the Israeli government's policies towards the Palestinians.