Knesset legal adviser Eyal Yinon warned in a letter Wednesday that contrary to a statement made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday while speaking to a gathering of Christian journalists, the government doesn’t have the authority to establish a parliamentary committee to investigate NGOs “that operate against Israeli soldiers.”
Netanyahu made the statement in brief Hebrew remarks to Israeli media at the start of the event while addressing a group of 100 members of the Christian media at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The statement can be heard at the very beginning of a video of the Prime Minister’s remarks, which can be viewed here.
The issue has been raised in the past as well; a link was discovered between the far-left Meretz party and the radical anti-religious ‘Free Israel’ NGO, whose budget in nearly all provided by foreign backers.
In addition, anti-Israel organizations such as ‘Breaking the Silence’ and ‘B’Tselem’ have been found to receive significant funds from foreign backers as well, primarily in the European Union.
Research by the NGO Monitor revealed earlier this year that the German government has provided millions of euros to political advocacy NGOs in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.
According to Prof. Gerald Steinberg, President of NGO Monitor, “German funding to organizations like ‘B’Tselem’ and ‘Breaking the Silence’ is a small part of the problem; the government also provides money to radical organizations that delegitimize the right of the Jewish people to sovereign equality.