JERUSALEM, November 14, 2011 (WAFA) - Moaz Za’tari, General Manager of Al-Maqdese for Society Development (MSD), strongly condemned the decision of Israeli Ministerial Committee for legislation to pass discriminatory laws, hindering the civil work and human rights organizations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, according to a press release published by MSD on Monday.
These discriminatory Israeli bills will hinder the work of human rights organizations and CSOs registered in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. This includes the Israeli left wing and Palestinian organizations, he said.
He added these laws do not affect the right wing and settler organizations as assistants for the Israeli government in implementing the Zionist agenda. These organizations specifically receive millions of dollars from the Israeli government and the Zionist Lobby all over the world.
Za’tari stressed that presenting these bills for preliminary vote in Knesset to actually enact the law poses a real threat on the work as well as existence of civil society organizations.
The release said that in the event that the bills are enacted and entered into force, the continuity of the work of such organizations will be extremely difficult and restricted, especially Palestinian human rights organizations.
Indeed, funding for these organizations will be capped to 20,000 NIS on an annual basis (about 4,000 Euro). If so, these organizations will need much more than this amount to fulfill its financial obligations and confront the challenges of the Israeli occupation, it said.
According to Israeli newspapers, the Israeli Ministerial Committee for legislation passed on Sunday November 13, two bills with the approval of eleven Ministers, while only five opposed.
The first law will cap the financial aid allowed for the organization from donors with no more than 20,000 NIS (about 4000 Euros). The second law proposed will impose a 45% taxes on their income (a percentage at least three times more than that imposed on profit making organizations); which means canceling tax-exemption to non-profit organizations according to the applied Ottoman law, the release said.
In other words, the Israeli government will acquire, through the tax authority, about half of the amount funded for civil society organizations.
Za’tari called on the international stakeholders; namely, European Union, United States and UN organizations to react immediately and put pressure on Israel to prevent it from enacting such discriminatory laws and oblige it to comply with the conventions signed and ratified by it through which financial, developmental and humanitarian aid to NGOs and CSOs.
MSD stresses that in the event no immediate reaction was taken, the work of civil society and nongovernmental organizations in Jerusalem will be eliminated, especially that these organizations are responsible for providing services for the Palestinians and defending their rights.
T.R./F.R.
