Swiss Bill Calls for an End to Funding of Anti-Israel NGOs

Anti-Israel protesters. (Alan Popely/flickr)

Switzerland is reviewing its policies of supporting organizations that work against Israel.

A Swiss lawmaker has introduced a bill—with the support of 41 Members of Parliament—that would stop all state funding to groups that support boycotts of Israel or “racist and anti-Semitic actions,” the Jerusalem Post reported, citing the Swiss-German daily newspaper Basler Zeitung.

The bill, initiated by MP Christian Imark, calls on the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) to stop direct and indirect funding to anti-Israel NGOs.

In particular, the legislation targets Islamic Relief Worldwide, which received about $182,000 last year through the FDFA and was banned by Israel from operating as a charity over its alleged donations to the Hamas terror group; the Palestinian-run legal center Adalah, which received $71,000 from the the FDFA and opposes the Jewish character of Israel; and Gisha, an NGO that monitors Israeli activities in Gaza, which received $61,000 from the FDFA in 2015 and is known for fighting Israeli security measures.

The Bundesrat, the executive council of Switzerland’s government, will assess and respond to the proposed legislation on NGO funding.

According to data published by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, European governments funnel a staggering sum of 100-200 million euros annually to anti-Israel organizations operating under the guise of human rights advocacy.

Governments in the US, UK, France, Canada and elsewhere are introducing legislation and taking other measures to undermine anti-Israel activities in their countries.

By: JNS.org and United with Israel Staff

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