(IntegrityPress.org) – Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has voiced her public support for a bill that would penalize New York charities for funding the Israeli military or Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank.
The legislation would mean that non-profits found using money to support such causes would have their tax-exempt status repealed and could be sued for up to $1 million by the state. Palestinians would also be permitted to sue the organizations if they claim they were harmed by the non-profit’s actions.
The bill was originally floated by State Senator Jabari Brisport and Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani several months before the Oct 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. While the bill failed to make headway upon its introduction, Mamdani said that the U.S. was experiencing a groundswell of support for Palestinian causes. He added that the bill would be re-framed to include prohibitions against “aiding and abetting” resettlement of Gazans or supporting Israeli actions that contravene international law.
While Ocasio-Cortez rarely involves herself in state-level politics, she told a crowd in Monday, May 20, that she felt the need to support this bill. She called it a “perilous” bill to support and said that she wanted to help her progressive colleagues in their endeavor. The “Not on Our Dime” bill does not enjoy wide support, with many New York Democrats maintaining a pro-Israel stance.
Critics have lambasted the bill as an attempt to cause harm to the Jewish community and charitable organizations that provide assistance to orphans, victims of terror attacks, and the poor. Queens Democrat, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, has been one such vocal critic. She said that she and her colleagues ought to find “common ground” instead of dealing in legislation designed to cause division amongst Democrats. The Central Fund of Israel’s Jay Marcus called the legislation “antisemitic” and said that the fund supports hospitals and schools and has been audited by the IRS. The Central Fund of Israel would be an organization targeted by the bill.
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