J-Street looks to IRS for help in campaign against groups supporting Israel
The IRS has already been targeting conservatives and groups that support Israel for years.
An Israeli watchdog organization has launched an investigation into a left-wing NGO, after the latter initiated its own campaign to strip the former of its status as a charitable organization in the United States.
Regavim, an Israeli group which monitors illegal Arab construction and land grabs across Israel, announced on Sunday it was conducting an investigation into the funding of the Washington D.C.-based left-wing NGO J-Street.
J-Street, which defines itself as a “pro-Israel, pro-peace” organization, has in the past endorsed UN Security Council resolutions against Israel and lobbied the US government not to veto such resolutions. The organization strongly supported the Iran nuclear deal, and was revealed to have received close to $600,000 for its efforts to gain support for the deal.
Last week, J-Street declared it was lobbying the Internal Revenue Service to revoke Regavim’s status as a charitable organization.
On Sunday, Regavim International Director Josh Hasten responded to the J-Street declaration, saying that his organization was preparing an investigation into J-Street and the group’s backers abroad.
“After successfully pushing through a perilous Iran deal, which continues to endanger Israel’s very existence; J-Street is now targeting Regavim,” said Hasten.
“As a legal watchdog focused on land ownership issues, we work according to the letter of the law to ensure that Israeli national lands are not stolen or squandered. Apparently our recent string of successes in court have upset the anti-Israel lobby so much that they want to bypass democracy and silence us.”
