New York’s registered nonprofits – subsidised by the US government and giving their donors tax breaks – are allegedly sending tens of millions of dollars to fund international war crimes perpetrated by Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank and the complete devastation of Gaza.   

According to ‘Not On Our Dime’, a campaign launched by New York Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, Israel has used US charities as cover to funnel the flow of donations and taxpayer money towards violence against Palestinians. 

‘A number of New York charities send more than $60 million a year to fund the violation of international law,’ Mamdani told Zeteo, a news platform launched by British-American political commentator Medhi Hasan.  

Mamdani adds that charitable organisations have ‘raised money for thermal drones and surveillance cameras for settlers’ as well as ‘pistol to rifle conversion kits.’ 

He first introduced a bill in May 2023, the most violent year on record for Palestinians in the West Bank, with an exclusive focus on prohibiting New York charities from funding Israeli settler violence.  

The expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank goes against stated US policy. 

The bill has been expanded since Israel’s military bombardment of Gaza, which international courts have said could be a case of plausibly committing genocide.   

If signed into law, the bill would allow the state attorney general to sue nonprofits that are violating the bill’s restrictions for at least $1 million and revoke their tax-exempt status. 

‘There isn’t a percentage of violation of international law that we should ever accept,’ said Mamdani. ‘And this legislation seeks to make what is implicit in many of our understandings, explicit in the law of the state of New York.’ 

Notable organisations who have endorsed the bill include Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. 

Mamandi named some nonprofits associated with violations.  

The One Israel Fund, based on Long Island, raised $2 million within 60-90 days. Typically this amount would be raised in a year. Money went towards surveillance technology used by Israeli settlers.

An individual published a video on behalf of One Israel Fund thanking donors. He is believed to be named on President Joe Biden’s sanction list for Israeli settlers.  

‘So, we have the president saying this is somebody who should be facing the full accountability of American law. And then the refusal to apply that state law means the same person benefitting from tax exempt status being bestowed upon this organisation,’ said Mamandi.  

Israel Gives, a crowdfunding platform that donates with a tax deduction towards the Israeli military, is funneling money towards some units that ‘are currently serving in Gaza carrying out a genocide’, Mamandi added.  

Shafi Musaddique is news editor at Alliance magazine.