New York bill aims to stop funding of ‘Israeli settler violence’

The legislation’s sponsor claims to be stopping his state from paying for so-called “war crimes.”

By JNS

A new law has been introduced into New York’s state legislature with the goal of preventing tax-deductible donations from supporting Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria, commonly known as the West Bank.

The “Not on our dime!: Ending New York funding of Israeli settler violence” act was put forward by assembly member Zohran Mamdani (Queens, N.Y.-District 36), who said: “What we have is a number of New York state-registered charities that are sending at least $60 million a year to Israeli settlement organizations which then use that funding to continue the history of expulsion and dispossession of Palestinians in the occupied territories that has been going on for decades.”

Other New York representatives disagreed with Mamdani’s bill, saying in a statement that it was intended to exacerbate divisions among Democrats. They also described the legislation as aiming to harm charities that provide care for terror victims and orphans.

Mamdani, 31, who assumed office in January 2021, dismissed such descriptions of the groups targeted by his bill.

He said that “these organizations masquerade as charities while funding illegal activities.”

According to his official bio, Mamdani—who was born in Kampala, Uganda, and moved to New York at age 7—co-founded the first Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College in Maine, where he graduated in 2014.

Jewish Voice for Peace is among the groups supporting the bill.

Israeli settlementsJudea and SamariaNew YorkSettlersUS-Israel relations