Israelis protest NGO probe: Report
by Menahem Kahana | Agence France PresseA group of leading Israeli intellectuals has written to the Israeli parliament to protest plans for an investigation into the funding of left-wing rights groups, Haaretz newspaper said Sunday.
On January 5, Israeli MPs voted to form a parliamentary inquiry to investigate the funding of rights groups allegedly helping to build war crimes cases abroad against Israeli military personnel.
The letter sent to all 120 members of Israel's Knesset accuses the legislative body of having "raised its hand against democracy in Israel," according to an excerpt of the text published by the Israeli daily.
Signed by academics, artists and left-wing political figures, the letter harshly criticises Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"He, and each of the 41 MKs (lawmakers) who voted for the establishment of a political committee to hunt the human rights organisations, will be remembered as being the ones who attempted to smash what is left of democracy in Israel and impose a fascist regime," Haaretz quoted the letter as saying.
"What is worse, only 17 MKs bothered to try to stop the destruction. Each and every MK who did not find time to oppose the initiative to end democracy in Israel bears personal responsibility for the disaster. A black flag now flies above the legislature in Israel."
The scope and details of the inquiry, proposed by the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, await definition in the Knesset's House Committee.
But as proposed, the investigation would look into the funding of groups accused of working to bring Israeli military personnel and political figures before international tribunals on allegations of war crimes.
Among the letter's signatories are professors Yehuda Bauer, Chaim Adler, Yermiyahu Yovel and Micha Ullman, artist Danny Karavan, and Shulamit Aloni, a co-founder of left-wing political party Meretz.
Local human rights groups have described moves to investigate them as "authoritarian, immoral and illegitimate."
On January 5, Israeli MPs voted to form a parliamentary inquiry to investigate the funding of rights groups allegedly helping to build war crimes cases abroad against Israeli military personnel.
The letter sent to all 120 members of Israel's Knesset accuses the legislative body of having "raised its hand against democracy in Israel," according to an excerpt of the text published by the Israeli daily.
Signed by academics, artists and left-wing political figures, the letter harshly criticises Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"He, and each of the 41 MKs (lawmakers) who voted for the establishment of a political committee to hunt the human rights organisations, will be remembered as being the ones who attempted to smash what is left of democracy in Israel and impose a fascist regime," Haaretz quoted the letter as saying.
"What is worse, only 17 MKs bothered to try to stop the destruction. Each and every MK who did not find time to oppose the initiative to end democracy in Israel bears personal responsibility for the disaster. A black flag now flies above the legislature in Israel."
The scope and details of the inquiry, proposed by the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, await definition in the Knesset's House Committee.
But as proposed, the investigation would look into the funding of groups accused of working to bring Israeli military personnel and political figures before international tribunals on allegations of war crimes.
Among the letter's signatories are professors Yehuda Bauer, Chaim Adler, Yermiyahu Yovel and Micha Ullman, artist Danny Karavan, and Shulamit Aloni, a co-founder of left-wing political party Meretz.
Local human rights groups have described moves to investigate them as "authoritarian, immoral and illegitimate."
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