NGO Bill's Passing in First Knesset Reading Faces Criticism From Human Rights Organizations

Jerusalem, 10 February, 2016 (TPS) -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) has lashed out against the Israeli government following the ratification of the NGO bill in its first Knesset reading on Monday. The bill, which was ratified with 50 votes in favor and 43 votes against, is designed to increase transparency among NGOs in Israel that receive most of their funding from foreign governments.

“The Israeli government is promoting legislation that targets and burdens human rights organizations fighting for a more just and democratic society,” said Sari Bashi of HRW.

Professor Gerald Steinberg of NGO-Monitor rejected Bashi’s statements. “HRW for many years has been one of the leading organizations excessively attacking Israel and using claims like human rights violations and war-crime allegations in order to promote BDS and the demonization of Israel,” he told Tazpit Press Service (TPS).

“It is absolutely not surprising that HRW would attack Israeli democracy and the rejection of the kinds of campaigns in which human rights organizations are involved,” he continued

Bashi said in a conversation with TPS that one of the key ways in which the law would adversely affect left-wing NGOs is through newspaper advertising campaigns. According to Bashi, NGOs that are funded primarily by foreign governments would see their campaign costs significantly increased as a result of the law since NGOs, paying on a per word basis, would have to include the sources of their funding.

However, Professor Steinberg dismissed this claim. “From my experience, this is both false and absurd. NGO newspaper advertisements are paid according to space, not words. And if words were significant, this would be a trivial addition to the cost,” he told TPS.

When asked again whether pay-per-word advertising would necessarily increase the cost of media communications as she originally suggested, Bashi responded, “It doesn’t matter. More words is more space. When you put out an ad, space is precious. If you are burdened by having to cite the sources of your funding, then it affects your ability to effectively advertise.”

Moreover, when asked whether this was even something required by the bill itself or simply speculation, Bashi said, “Nobody knows how this law is going to be enforced. It is an open question. The law talks about communications with the public so in my view that would include media communications, but again, it is just a draft bill.”

Bashi also said that many “right-wing settler organizations” receive Israeli government funding citing organizations such as Jewish learning centers, Ariel University, and Yad Sarah, a Jerusalem-based voluntary organization that supplies hospitals with medical equipment including wheelchairs, electric beds, oxygen concentrators, etc.

When asked about the veracity of this claim, David Ruthner of Yad Sarah told TPS that the organization only receives 2% of its funding from the Israeli government and depends primarily on private contributions. “We serve people from all backgrounds without discrimination. We have branches in Arab villages in Israel. Arabs who come to Israeli hospitals also benefit from our equipment,” Ruthner said.

By contrast, NGO-Monitor has used the Israeli Corporations Authority (in which non-profits are also registered) to cite financial contributions from foreign governmental bodies to left-wing NGOs, such as B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence. It found that B’Tselem had received over NIS 3 million in 2014 and NIS 5.5 million in 2015. Similarly, Breaking the Silence received over NIS 5 million in 2013, more than NIS 4 million in 2014, and NIS 3 million in the first half of 2015 from foreign governmental bodies.