US Department of Justice Asked to Look into Peace Now

Jerusalem-based journalist David Bedein and Philadelphia attorney Lee Bender are urging the United States Department of Justice to launch an investigation into Peace Now.

According to its website, Peace Now is the “leading voice of Israel Public pressure for peace” and claims to be a “grassroots organization”. However, recent alleged ties to a foreign government are troubling as that would mean that the organization is operating feloniously.

Bedein explained that Peace Now is not registered as a foreign agent putting them in breach of a major American security violation, the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The Foreign Agents Registration Act requires that agents representing the welfare of foreign powers be correctly identified to the American Public. Bedein, who is also the Bureau Chief for the Israel Resource News Agency and a Middle East correspondent for the Bulletin in Philadelphia, told Shalom Life that the Justice Department has “taken our request for inquiry on the subject very seriously and the next thing will be to call them (Peace Now) in for questioning.”

He added that Peace Now, an organization which operates in the U.S. under the designation Americans for Peace Now, has been allocated 1.3 million Kroner, approximately $200,000 USD, from the Norwegian government. According to Bedein, “Peace Now operates as if they’re a spontaneous grassroots Israeli organization. An organization that functions with the money from a foreign government is no longer a spontaneous grass roots organization.” Peace Now’s ties with the Norwegian government raises issues as Norway is one of the only European Nations that, as Bedein states, “Recognizes and works with the Hamas regime in Gaza despite that it’s run by a terrorist organization and that is the same organization funding Peace Now.”

Because Peace Now has allegedly been functioning with money from a foreign government this raises legality issues in the United States and Bender and Bedein are asking the Justice Department why the organization has not registered itself as a foreign agent. Peace Now is registered as a legal entity in the U.S. but not in Israel where all of its projects are executed.

Bedein adds that “Peace Now is not registered in Israel as an entity as it is in the United States which is why we’re raising the question in the United States. Peace now operates in Israel under an educational non-profit organization but Peace Now per say does not exist as a legal entity. It does exist in the United States.”

Bedein’s chief concern, besides the felony he claims Peace Now is committing in the U.S. by not registering as a foreign agent, is that the government of Norway “does not have Israel’s interest in mind or even peace in mind”.

For more on the Justice Department’s investigation of Peace Now visit Israel Resource Review www.israelbehindthenews.com