US Congress to summon left-wing Israeli groups for allegedly undermining democracy – report

The heads of the Blue and White Future and Movement for Quality Government NGOs will be asked to testify about their US funding.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The US Congress will soon be inviting two Israeli NGOs for grilling over financial support they indirectly received from the American government that supported the mass 2023 protests against judicial reform, the Israeli Channel 14 broadcaster reported on Sunday.

The Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees sent a joint letter last week to the Blue and White Future (BWF) and the Movement for Quality Government (MQG) groups, asking for all documents and communications regarding monies they received from organizations that in turn were “funded in part by U.S. grant money” during the Biden administration.

They were concerned because “The use of federal grants to undermine Israel’s democratically elected government in this manner not only jeopardizes America’s relationship with one of its closest allies, but also undermines core civil liberties protected within the United States and Israel.”

The letter specifically noted funding by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which the Trump administration is attempting to dismantle over its support of terror groups and individuals, among other non-transparent practices.

MQG is an NGO whose official aim is to promote democracy and good government in Israel, largely doing so by appealing to the Supreme Court against government decisions.

It has been at the forefront of protests against the judicial reform process the current coalition supports, and opposes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, unsuccessfully petitioning the highest court to remove him from power in 2019, when the corruption charges against him were being investigated.

BWF was described in the letter as having “funded and run the headquarters for the coalition of groups opposing judicial reform,” and “received approximately $4 million from a US-based NGO, Middle East Peace Dialogue Network (MEPDN). These funds reportedly derived from USAID and State Department-funded grants that flowed to MEPDN through the Jewish Communal Fund and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.”

The Congressional committees have sent letters to all the funding groups demanding a breakdown of the money they received under the previous administration, which “openly opposed the proposed reforms,” as well as details about exactly how the money was spent.

The letter demanded compliance by April 9.

Channel 14 cited “American sources who are closely familiar with the process” as estimating that the heads of the two Israeli groups will be summoned for questioning after that date. It is also likely that the U.S.-based NGOs will be summoned as well.

As non-American citizens, the chairmen of BWF and MQG are not required to appear, the report said, “but refusal to do so will most likely lead to significant sanctions being imposed on them.”

BWF has already denied receiving any US government funding, whether directly or indirectly, the report said.

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors supports many Palestinian organizations and funnels millions of dollars to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which funds extreme Israeli leftist NGOs such as Yesh Din and groups promoting BDS, as well as the veteran, viciously anti-Israel group, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).

Before the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 invasion and massacre, the Jewish Communal Fund allowed its members to donate to JVP, while MEPDN is a fervent advocate of the “two-state solution” that the majority in Israel have rejected as being a danger to the existence of the state until the Palestinian Authority acts as a true peace partner instead of an active supporter of terrorism.