Bennett Says anti-leftist-NGO Bill Doesn't Go Far Enough
'This masochism has to stop,' says Habayit Hayehudi leader.
A new bill that would deprive foreign-funded left-wing organizations of tax-exempt status doesn’t go far enough, Habayit Hayehudi chairman Naftali Bennett said on Monday.
- Editorial / Extreme Right vs NGOs, Once Again
- Amir Fuchs / Israel's Return of McCarthyism
- Don’t Soften It, Strike It Down
- First Steps Toward Silencing Dissent
- Fighting Foreign Meddling in Israel
- NGOs Accuse Lapid of Bias Against Religious Groups
- Israel's 10 Most Unwanted Laws
- Court Nixes Barring of Activist From Haifa Street
- Bennett's Wife Takes a Facebook Swipe at Lapid
The bill, sponsored by his party colleague MK Ayelet Shaked, was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday.
“I’d have gone farther; this masochism has to stop,” Bennett said. “This isn’t a law against left-wing organizations, but a law [against] anti-Israel organizations. I don’t see any connection between these extremist organizations and the Zionist left.”
As an example, Bennett cited the Arab advocacy organization Adalah, “which filed a legal opinion in a Spanish court explaining why seven senior Israeli officials are war criminals. This organization also accused the Israel Defense Forces of crimes against humanity and war crimes,” and was cited 38 times in the Goldstone Report, which accused Israel of war crimes during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2009.
“This organization, which works against IDF soldiers day and night, which works to promote a boycott of the State of Israel, is being funded by taxpayers via tax breaks,” he said. “We aren’t willing to have them spit in our face with foreign funding and also receive tax breaks.
“In France, contact with a foreign country or organization to foment hostile activity against France carries a sentence of 30 years in prison and 450,000 euros,” Bennett continued. “All we’re saying is you won’t get tax benefits.”
He also quoted former Supreme Court Justice Meir Shamgar as saying, “Support for a political organization by a foreign government is something that should frighten anybody who believes in real democracy.”
Bennett said he doesn’t understand why Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (Hatnuah), Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) and Health Minister Yael German (Yesh Atid) voted against “a law that’s meant to protect IDF soldiers,” since “they are from the Zionist left.” He urged them to withdraw their opposition to the bill.
Click the alert icon to follow topics:
Comments
ICYMI

A Women's Rights Lawyer Felt She Didn't Belong in Israel. So She Moved to Morocco

'It Was Real Shock to Move From a Little Muslim Village, to a Big Open World'

'There Are Similarities Between the Hasidic Community and Pornography’
‘RRR’: If Cocaine Were a Movie, It Would Look Like This
Yair Lapid's Journey: From Late-night Host to Israel's Prime Minister
