by JNS
“Legislation like this contributes to the dangerous and salacious narrative that Israel is an oppressive nation,” said Rabbi Ariel Sadwin.
Maryland Democrats introduced a bill that would prohibit certain nonprofit organizations registered to solicit charitable donations from supporting “Israeli settlement activity” in Judea and Samaria and allow lawsuits against groups that violate the measure.
Titled the “Not on Our Dime Act,” HB 1184 was introduced on Feb. 11 by Gabriel Acevero, Ashanti Martinez and Caylin Young, Democratic members of the Maryland House of Delegates. At a March 11 hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee, representatives from the Council on American-Islamic Relations debated with Lauren Arikan, a Republican delegate, on whether the legislation should also include charitable organizations that support Iranian-linked causes.
“We’re going to have to have these difficult conversations,” Sean Stinnett, a Democratic delegate, said at the hearing, asking supporters of the bill why Jewish advocacy groups felt it was “singling out Israel.”
“There is no other country that is currently building illegal settlements that is condemned by the United Nations, by the ICJ, by the U.S. Department of State under the Obama and Biden administration,” a CAIR representative responded, claiming that Washington is funding this activity with “billions” of dollars.
The bill says a nonprofit registered with the state “may not knowingly engage in unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity.”
It describes “unauthorized support” as aiding or abetting actions by the Israeli government or Israeli citizens in what it defines as “the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.”
Under the proposal, Maryland’s attorney general could file civil lawsuits against nonprofit leaders accused of violating the law and seek “not less than $1,000,000 in damages.” Private individuals could also bring lawsuits seeking injunctions and damages.
Nonprofits found liable would be removed from the state’s registry of charitable solicitations. The state would be required to ensure that organizations that are no longer registered stop soliciting in Maryland, according to a policy note attached to the bill.
Rabbi Ariel Sadwin, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic region of Agudath Israel of America, told JNS that “legislation like this contributes to the dangerous and salacious narrative that Israel is an oppressive nation.”
“In today’s society, where people, especially the young, are educated by click-seekers on social media, it does not take long for opposition to Israel to turn into the full-blown hatred of Jews,” he stated. “Acts of violence directed at Jews in the Diaspora are frightening examples of the highest form of bigotry and hatred.”
Sadwin said it was “deeply troubling to see public officials in Maryland single out Israel—an independent democracy and a close ally of the United States—while using inflammatory language and ignoring the many countries around the world engaged in genuine oppression.”
JNS
Source: https://www.jns.org/maryland-dems-propose-bill-targeting-nonprofits-tied-to-judea-and-samaria/
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