Despite numerous anti-Israel reports and public statements, including repeatedly calling Israel an apartheid state, the Amenity International NGO still receives generous tax benefits from the Israeli government.
By World Israel News Staff
Despite numerous anti-Israel reports and public statements, including repeatedly calling Israel an apartheid state, the Amenity International NGO still receives generous tax benefits from the Israeli government for its operations in the country.
Israel Hayom recently investigated the matter, and found that numerous Israeli government entities, ranging from a Knesset committee to the Tax Authority to the Finance Ministry, are evading responsibility and passing the blame for the ongoing financial incentives to a group that is openly hostile towards the state.
A source told Israel Hayom that because Amnesty International does not explicitly call for the boycott of Israel or formally endorse the BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) movement, instead focusing on publishing reports that slam the Jewish State for alleged human right violations, the organization falls into a technical loophole which does not grant the Knesset the authority to revoke its tax-exempt status.
MK Gilad Kariv, who heads the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, told Israel Hayom that the responsibility for ensuring that Amnesty loses its tax benefits falls with the Finance Ministry, an assertion which was staunchly denied by that entity.
After a Finance Ministry representative told Israel Hayom to contact the Tax Authority, that body subsequently said it has nothing to do with the matter at hand.
“The issue is not our responsibility. You should contact the Finance Ministry,” a Tax Authority official told the news outlet.
Shai Glick, the general director of the Betsalmo pro-Israel advocacy group, said that the authorities’ bungling of the issue was cause for concern. Glick urged swift intervention on the matter by Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman.
“One hand says that this is an organization that runs a campaign of hatred and lies against Israel, and the other hand gives it benefits worth hundreds of thousands of shekels every year,” he told Israel Hayom.
“I call on [Finance Minister] Liberman to order the denial of funding from Amnesty immediately.”