This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
The next step involves a Knesset House Committee debate, then a vote on whether foreign states, international organizations or others linked to alleged terrorist groups provide funding.
According to Peace Now Director-General Yariv Oppenheimer:
Knesset approval is "another step on the path toward wiping out democracy in Israel" by trying to persecute critics.
The New Israel Fund (NIF) said the decision "proves how much the stature of Israeli democracy has deteriorated - even in the house of legislators," acting more like despots than legitimate lawmakers. "Democracy cannot function properly without freedom of expression, freedom to sound criticism of the system, and active human rights groups. The political persecution of human rights groups cause great damage to Israel across the world, and this is precisely what will lead to the delegitimization (of Israel) and the representation of it as a McCarthyite state in which a witch hunt is taking place" lawlessly.
The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) called the move "authoritarian, immoral and illegitimate," adding that it mourns the "slow but sure death" of Israeli democratic values.
In total, 16 human rights groups signed an open letter in protest, including B'Tselem, the Association of Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Yesh Din, Machsom Watch, Adalah, Mossawa Center, Ir Amin and Hotline for Migrant Workers.
"Investigate us all, we have nothing to hide," they said. "You are invited to read our reports and our publications. We will be happy if for a change you relate in a germane way to our questions instead of trying to besmirch us. It did not work in the past and it will not work this time."
A second Jonathan Lis article headlined, "Knesset votes to probe Israeli groups accused of 'delegitimizing' IDF," saying:
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
3
3
2
