MKs says no tax breaks for ‘biased’ Amnesty

25 October 2016, 6:20 pm

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Jewish Home MK Bezalel Smotrich says Amnesty International is “significantly biased against Israel and its leaders” and so should not have the same tax benefits enjoyed by other nonprofit organizations.

Smotrich and Likud MK Miki Zohar approach the head of the Knesset Finance Committee, MK Moshe Gafni, to request that he remove the human rights group from the list of organizations that can receive tax-deductible contributions.

Jewish Home MK Bezalel Smotrich attends a meeting of the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee in the Knesset on June 20, 2016. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The committee is to decide Thursday on the list of organizations that qualify for the tax breaks. Under Israeli law, donations or contributions to these organizations can be declared tax deductible.

In the letter to the committee, the MKs cite several Amnesty reports that are highly critical of Israel, including on alleged Israeli war crimes during the 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, and a report on Israel denying water access to Palestinians.