Israel’s government is trying to limit international funding of human rights organisations

With the understandable focus on security, it's easy to forget the internal challenges that Israel faces in the hands of a government ready to undermine democratic structures to pursue its own ideological agenda.

One of the most concerning developments proposed by this government is back: a proposed bill that would impose an 80% tax on foreign government funding for civil society organisations

These organisations provide legal aid, foster dialogue between Jews and Arabs in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and fight for human rights – work that is integral in ensuring peace, stability and a strong liberal democracy.

Most rely heavily on foreign funding and do not receive funding from the Israeli government.

The new bill would impose punitive taxation on civil society organisations, unless they also receive state funding. It also bars organisations that receive the majority of their funds through foreign state entities from petitioning Israeli courts.

The bill’s explanatory notes claim that non-government organisations (NGOs) benefiting from foreign state donations act as "agents" for foreign interests, justifying these sweeping limitations.

For progressive Israeli civil society organisations, such as the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), the Bereaved Families Forum (which the Israeli government has already attempted to ban from the education system), and numerous other groups supported by the New Israel Fund, the implications are dire.

Should this bill pass, their ability to operate would be crippled. Their funding streams would be drastically reduced, their legal standing in the courts nullified, and their very existence threatened. In effect, the Israeli government is attempting to silence its critics by cutting off the resources that enable them to function.