DoomsdaysCW<p>Congress is voting on a bill targeting pro-<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Palestinian" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Palestinian</span></a> groups. <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Israel" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Israel</span></a>’s example proves it’s a terrible idea<br /><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HR9495" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>HR9495</span></a> would open the door for more <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/antidemocratic" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>antidemocratic</span></a> developments — as laws in Israel have done for 15 years</p><p>by Daniel Sokatch November 20, 2024</p><p>&quot;The House of Representatives is trying to pass a bill, under the guise of pushing back on terrorism, that would hand President-elect Donald <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Trump</span></a> a cudgel with which to attack American civil society organizations.</p><p>&quot;H.R. 9495 — titled &#39;The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act&#39; — already failed one House vote last week. Is bipartisan cosponsors won’t accept defeat so easily, and are bringing it to another vote on Wednesday. The bill would hand the secretary of the Treasury — who, in just two short months, will be a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TrumpAppointee" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>TrumpAppointee</span></a> — the authority to unilaterally revoke the tax-exempt status of any <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/nonprofit" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>nonprofit</span></a> deemed to be a &#39;terrorist supporting organization.&#39; In other words, shut them down.</p><p>&quot;As the CEO of the New Israel Fund, the premier funder of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/progressive" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>progressive</span></a>, pro-<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HumanRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>HumanRights</span></a> and democracy organizations in Israel, I know just how dangerous this measure is. For more than 15 years, progressive Israeli civil society has worked — with the aid of nonprofits like ours — to advance equality, justice and safety for Jews and Palestinians alike, while fending off the kinds of accusations this bill tees up. And after facing endless delegitimization campaigns aimed at painting them as traitorous — not to mention the reams of anti-democratic legislation that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Netanyahu" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Netanyahu</span></a> and his hardline allies have pushed in an effort to quash their efforts — we know how important it is for Congress to vote down this bill.</p><p>&quot;Both Trump and Netanyahu know how to use the media, legislation and the threat of brute force to crack down on dissent, but Netanyhau has often been a few steps ahead of Trump and his allies. Israel’s 2016 &#39;<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NGOTransparencyLaw" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NGOTransparencyLaw</span></a>&#39; could easily have been the inspiration for H.R. 9495. The law, now on the books in Israel, takes aim at organizations that get their funding from governments like those of Germany and the Netherlands, from which most human rights NGOs draw resources. While NGOs that receive private funds — the lifeblood of many <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RightWing" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>RightWing</span></a> organizations — are completely ignored.&quot;</p><p>Read more:<br /><a href="https://forward.com/opinion/676504/hr-9495-israel-pro-palestinian-organizations/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">forward.com/opinion/676504/hr-</span><span class="invisible">9495-israel-pro-palestinian-organizations/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StopHR9495" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>StopHR9495</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CeasefireNow" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CeasefireNow</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BibiIsAWarCriminal" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>BibiIsAWarCriminal</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FreeGaza" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FreeGaza</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Fascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Fascism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Totalitarianism" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Totalitarianism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Authoritarianism" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Authoritarianism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CharacteristicsOfFascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CharacteristicsOfFascism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporateColonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CorporateColonialism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ChristoZionism" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ChristoZionism</span></a></p>