Israeli ministers approve NGO-foreign funding bill

Israeli ministers on Sunday endorsed contentious draft legislation to toughen rules on rights groups which receive funds from abroad, I24 News quoted the justice minister as saying.

If the Knesset passes the bill, Israeli non-governmental organizations which get at least half of their funding from "foreign state entities" will be obliged to identify donors on their financial statements and in official statements to Israeli public bodies.

The bill's sponsor, Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, has alleged that "blatant interference in internal Israeli affairs by foreign governments is unprecedented and widespread."

Shaked cited a UN inquiry into the 2014 summer war in Gaza, which concluded that Israel may have been guilty of war crimes. She said it relied on evidence from foreign-backed NGOs B'Tselem, Adalah and Breaking the Silence.

Source: MENA