Israeli ministers have voted in favour of a bill that will crack down
on human rights groups receiving funds from abroad, a move EU officials
said was reminiscent of totalitarian regimes.

Opponents say the bill unfairly targets leftwing organisations
critical of government policy, leaving rightwing pro-settlement groups
immune from the same scrutiny, as those tend to rely on private donors –
who are exempt from the measures.

The so-called transparency bill, sponsored by the justice minister,
Ayelet Shaked, requires organisations to provide details of the
countries funding their activities in any communication with elected
officials, imposing a 29,000 shekel (£5,000) fine on any who fail to do
so. Employees would also be required to wear special tags when working
in Israel’s parliament.

The measures passed the first major legislative hurdle on Sunday when
government ministers agreed to it in principal, making it almost
certain to pass into law. The legislation is expected to receive support
from all the coalition factions within the Israeli government when it
is put to a final vote. It was part of a coalition agreement made by
Shaked’s Hayabit Hayehudi party and Binyamin Netanyahu. Opposition leaders have put pressure on the Israeli prime minister and coalition members to try to prevent the vote.

The EU ambassador to Israel recently met Shaked to warn that the bill
would undermine Israeli’s image as “a democratic and pluralistic
country”, Israeli media reported. EU officials
were quoted as saying that “Israel should be very careful about
reigning in its prosperous democratic society with laws that are
reminiscent of totalitarian regimes”.

Ayman Odeh, the leader of the united front of Israel’s Arab parties
in the Knesset, accused the government of trying to silence criticism.
“The government led by Binyamin Netanyahu is chipping away at what is
left of the democratic space in Israel,”
he said. “Human rights organisations fill an essential role in any
society which aspires to be democratic, which is why they are constantly
targeted as enemies of Israeli sovereignty.” .

Zehava Galon, head of the opposition Meretz party, described the bill
as incredibly dangerous. “Beyond the fact that this is a bill that
ostensibly seeks to increase transparency, it seeks to label human
beings,” she said.

The organisation Breaking the Silence,
comprised of former soldiers who oppose Israel’s actions in the
occupied territories, said the timing of the bill was intended to
distract attention from the charging of suspects arrested in connection
with the arson attack on a Palestinian family in the West Bank village of Duma.

Breaking the Silence already reports on its funding every quarter –
it receives 55% of its funding from European governments with a budget
of 4.5m shekels this year. Shaul said: “Transparency laws are already
advanced here: we need to report in our annual report every single donor
over 20,000 shekels, including all private donors.”

In comparison, the pro-settlement group El Ad receives estimated
funding of 60m shekels a year. Many right-wing non-profit groups
received exemptions from the Israeli NGO authority, meaning they did not
have to reveal who their private donors were. “This law is another
attempt to politically persecute the left,,” Shaul said.