Democrats Party Threatens Legal Action Over Likud Campaign Ties

The Democratic Party has sent a pre-legal letter to the "If You Want" (Im Tirtzu) NGO and the Likud party, demanding clarification on the NGO's activities during the election period. The Democrats allege that "If You Want" has been conducting activities that could be legally defined as "election campaigning" and suggest it may be considered a "body connected to the Likud faction." The letter, signed by the Democrats' legal counsel, Omri Segev, claims that "If You Want" has been actively involved in the political arena, particularly in campaigns supporting judicial changes and criticizing government opponents.

According to the Registrar of Associations, "If You Want's" 2024 budget was approximately 5.5 million shekels, with most donations originating from outside Israel. The Democrats assert a long-standing connection between "If You Want" and Likud, citing similar campaign characteristics in the 2015 elections, including videos, social media activity, and voter mobilization efforts in Likud strongholds. Past reports of the State Comptroller examining the NGO's activities are also mentioned.

The Democrats' primary argument focuses on "If You Want's" recent activities, citing publications against the Democratic Party, Ra'am, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Gadi Eisenkot, as well as a campaign called "The People's Voice Headquarters." They claim this campaign aims to deter voters from opposing Likud and encourage support for Netanyahu and his party. The Democrats further allege that these campaigns involve recruiting supporters who provide personal data, including names, emails, phone numbers, and birthdates, with some forms requesting ID numbers. This, they argue, creates a database of politically aligned voters that the NGO can target directly.

The Democrats present two alternative claims: first, that "If You Want" should be registered with the State Comptroller as an "active body in elections" if its activity exceeds legal thresholds, a registration it currently lacks. The second, more severe claim, is that "If You Want" should be considered a "body connected to the Likud faction," based on message similarities, personal ties between NGO leaders and Likud, political activities favoring the party, and historical financial connections.

If the latter claim is accepted, "If You Want's" expenses could be deemed Likud's, its donations considered party contributions subject to legal limits, including those on foreign and corporate donations. The Democrats are demanding responses from both "If You Want" and Likud regarding coordination, funding, transferred data, and the involvement of Erez Tzadmor in the NGO. They warn that failure to receive satisfactory answers will lead to appeals to the Central Elections Committee chairman and the State Comptroller, seeking investigations, financial sanctions, and potentially criminal review.