The Party Financing Bill which has been dubbed the V15 Bill was passed into law in Knesset on Monday. It received its name after the V15 organization that worked to prevent the election of PM Netanyahu in the last elections. The bill intends to block foreign intervention in the Israeli political system by influencing elections with major contributions.

The new law compels organizations involved in political activities to report funding, no longer limiting the need to report financing to political parties exclusively. This prevents NGOs from receiving funding and then working to influence the outcome of elections.

The bill was sponsored amid a realization that many left-wing NGOs in Israel received monies from the EU and other interested parties trying to unseat the right-wing prime minister.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)