A newly proposed law is moving swiftly through the Knesset that threatens to destroy what remains of civil society in Israel. If passed, it will impose an 80% tax on any funding received from foreign governments by Israeli NGOs - a deliberate and targeted attack on human rights and peace organizations. Crucially, the law selectively applies only to organizations deemed “political”, with the determination left to government discretion. This means groups that advocate for Palestinian rights, document occupation-related abuses, or promote peace and equality will be taxed into collapse. Meanwhile, settler organizations and institutions aligned with government policy - many of which also receive foreign state funding - will be exempt. NGOs that receive funding from the Israeli government itself will also be fully exempt. This is not a policy debate. This is an attempt to silence dissent.

For years, civil society in Israel has been shrinking under increasing pressure. Activists have been vilified, organizations delegitimized, and voices for peace and justice systematically pushed out of the public space. But this law goes further. It is designed to decimate independent civil society and eliminate any remaining checks on government power.

This is not what democracy looks like!

There is global precedent for this kind of law, and it is alarming. In 2012, Russia introduced the so-called “foreign agent” law to label and suppress organizations receiving foreign support. The result? NGOs shut down, journalists jailed, and opposition voices erased. Israel is now following the same path - weaponizing legislation to silence its critics.

Combatants for Peace is the only joint Israeli-Palestinian movement actively operating on the ground in the West Bank, uniting Palestinians from the Occupied Territories and Israelis in nonviolent co-resistance. We are living proof that cooperation, mutual recognition, and nonviolence are possible - even in the face of brutality, even in the darkest times. We organize together. We resist the occupation together. We mourn together. We build hope where others are trying to sow fear and hatred.

This law is not just an attack on NGOs - it is an attack on all of us. On the idea that Israelis and Palestinians can stand together for peace and justice. If this passes, it will suffocate the fragile space in which that hope still lives.

We must do everything in our power to stop this. We know that the war in Gaza is brutal, and violence across the West Bank is severe. It is overwhelming to know what to do or how to act in the face of such relentless suffering. But if this bill passes, our ability to affect any of it - to protect lives, uphold rights, and resist the machinery of occupation - will be dramatically reduced. We call on our supporters, partners, and international allies:

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Help us keep civil society alive. Help us keep working for peace.