On July 12, 2016, the Knesset passed
the “NGO Law”, branding human rights and civil society organizations as illegitimate, in the guise of promoting “transparency” and democracy. 57 Knesset members voted for the Law and 48 voted against it. The Law targets NGOs funded largely by foreign states, but does not apply to NGOs funded by private individuals or private entities from abroad, such as the extreme right NGOs. Clearly its objective is not transparency, but another move by the state to silence the NGOs.
The Law is another element in the current surge of the political persecution, incitement against human rights organizations and anti-democratic steps implemented by the government. In an
advertisement published immediately after the Law’s enactment, the organizations clarified that although they failed to stop the “NGO Law”, the “NGO Law” would not succeed in stopping their activities; their struggle for human rights and social equality and their adherence to critical thinking, all of which are the life breath of democratic society.
