The Biden administration has denounced an Israeli coalition bill that would limit foreign donations to NGOs operating in the country.

The bill, drafted by Likud lawmaker Ariel Kallner and slated to be debated Sunday before the Knesset’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation, ” seeks to reduce through taxation the involvement of foreign govenmental entities in Israeli democracy.

“The involvement that is sought to be reduced is that carried out through financial support for associations and non-profits whose activities include interference in legal issues in Israel, in political activity, in government policy, in municipal policy, or in broad public opinion.”

According to the bill, any non-profit that engages in public advocacy two years before or after receiving the donation would no longer be eligible for tax exemptions.

The State Department.has condemned the bill.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “I won’t speculate on things that might come to pass. I will just say that as a general matter, the United States supports the essential role of NGOs that are part of civil society…

“We believe that they are critical to democratic, responsive and transparent government, and we firmly believe that civil society should have the opportunity and space to operate and raise resources around the world.”

Kallner, according to his website, had made “the issue of sovereignty throughout the entire Land of Israel” a top priority.

Prominent human rights organization Amnesty International is an example of a foreign entity that works against Israel’s interests. Despite numerous anti-Israel reports and public statements, including repeatedly calling Israel an apartheid state, the NGO still receives generous tax benefits from the Israeli government for its operations in the country, Israel Hayom, which conducted an investigation of the matter a year ago, noted in its findings.

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