The charity has been openly flouting Canadian law with impunity for decades
In a small but significant step for defenders of Palestinian rights, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has revoked the charitable status of the Jewish National Fund, an organization that violates Canadian law by funneling tax deductible charitable donations to the Israeli military. According to CRA policy, funds intended to benefit the operations of a foreign military cannot be tax deductible.
The CRA decision follows an audit of JNF activities, launched after a complaint that the JNF is violating Canadian tax law by sending donations to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In 2017, a complaint filed by Independent Jewish Voices asserted that “JNF Canada works in violation of the Income Tax Act and in contravention of Canadian foreign policy in various ways,” including by funding infrastructure projects on Israeli army, air, and naval bases.
On top of funding the IDF through charitable donations, the JNF is a key participant in Palestinian dispossession through the sale of illegally occupied lands and financial support to illegal Israeli settlements. The JNF owns 13 percent of Israel’s land and, while claiming the “make the desert bloom” through tree-planting and other environmental projects, it sells lands stolen from Palestinian communities to Israeli settlers, helping to entrench Israel’s occupation.
The CRA cannot claim that JNF’s flouting of Canadian tax law is news. The organization has been openly flouting Canadian law with impunity for decades. (more...)
JNF’s loss of charitable status a win for international law and Palestinian rights
‼️BREAKING: The CRA has revoked the charitable status of the Jewish National Fund (@JNFca) for violating Canadian and international law by providing support to a foreign army and enabling Israel’s annexation of land within the Occupied Territories. https://t.co/8STK8Mt5dD
— Canadian Dimension (@CDN_Dimension) July 26, 2024
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