Israel's parliament passed a controversial law Monday that increases the regulation of many Israeli human rights organizations. The law, seen by critics as targeting leftist groups that campaign for Palestinian rights, was passed in a 57-48 vote following a lengthy debate. "The law wishes to deal with the phenomenon of NGOs which represent foreign interests of foreign states, while acting under the cover of local organizations seeking to serve the interests of the Israeli public," its introduction read. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the law's goal was "to prevent an absurd situation, in which foreign states meddle in Israel's internal affairs by funding NGOs, without the Israeli public being aware of it." "Unlike the left's claims, the law's approval will increase transparency, contribute to creating a discourse that reflects the Israeli public opinion, and will strengthen democracy," he wrote on his Facebook page following the final vote. The law will compel the relevant groups to report their main source of income to the NGO registrar, publish it on their website and state it in relevant publications. Earlier versions of the law had included the requirement that representatives of applicable NGOs must wear identifying tags and declare their funding sources when speaking at a Knesset, or parliament, committee. Opposition head Isaac Herzog said ahead of the vote that the law represents "the buds of fascism blooming in Israel." Head of the Arab Joint List Ayman Odeh said the law sought to "intimidate and wipe away the few organisations that act and fight in the public sphere for equality to the Arab public." The law does not specifically refer to leftist organizations, but will be applicable to some 25 NGOs. Right-wing NGOs, such as those supporting Israel's occupation of the West Bank, tend to rely on private donations, to which the law does not apply. Several left-wing Israeli NGOs receive large percentages of their funding from abroad, including from European governments. Peace Now, a prominent settlement watchdog NGO, called the law "a blatant violation of freedom of expression." "Tailored specifically to target only peace and human rights organizations, its true intention is to divert the Israeli public discourse away from the occupation and to silence opposition to the government's policies," the group said in a statement, vowing to challenge the law in court. Human Rights Watch said: "If the Israeli government were truly concerned about transparency, it would require all NGOs to actively alert the public to their sources of funding, not just those that criticize the government's policies." Opposition lawmaker Nachman Shai of the Zionist Union party said, "We will pay for this damage for many generations." The so-called NGO law was approved despite strong criticism from abroad. German lawmaker Volker Beck, chairman of the German-Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Group, wrote on Facebook Monday that the law would "tarnish the reputation" of Israel. Israeli media has reported that nearly all of the Israeli groups that receive more than half their funding from foreign governments are human rights organizations identified with the left. The anti-settlement group Peace Now announced it will challenge the law in Israel's Supreme Court. "While the law will delegitimize left-wing organizations, pro-settler NGOs who receive millions of dollars in foreign donations without any transparency will remain unaffected," the group said in a statement.
