Tax Breaks for Genocide: Canadian charities are funding Israeli universities engaged in genocide and occupation war crimes
Send a letter to the Canada Revenue Agency letting them know you demand they take steps to prevent your tax paying dollars subsidizing Israeli universities.
In our recent report "Tax Breaks for Genocide: Canadian charities are funding Israeli universities engaged in genocide and occupation war crimes" we provide details Canadian tax payers supporting Israeli universities, outlining the involvement of these Israeli universities with the Israeli military.
Perhaps surprising to some, Israeli universities are deeply connected to Canadian institutions. As will be described through this report, Israeli universities receive funding from a variety of Canadian institutions, namely registered charities.
In total, we identified potentially over $100 million going to nine Israeli universities: Bar-Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University, Hebrew University, Weizmann Institute, Technion, Reichman, Jerusalem College of Tech, Tel Aviv University, and the University of Haifa.
The majority of Canadian donations to these institutions occur through "associated Canadian organizations." For example, Ben-Gurion University has an associated organization called "Canadian Associates of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev" (or BGU Canada). These associated organizations exist for the purpose of fundraising for their Israeli university counterpart. Individual foundations, like the Azrieli Foundation also give directly to these Israeli universities.
Notably, these Israeli post-secondary institutions are not simply places of education and learning, they are deeply connected to Israel's occupation, and specifically the Israeli military. For instance, the Weizmann Institute and Technion are "anchor[s of] the state's scientific-military capabilities." Other universities, like Tel Aviv University, Ben-Gurion, Bar-Ilan, and Hebrew University, offer specific military training programs, from data science to tactical training.
Charities are required to follow Canadian public policy – which means they must not recognize the legitimacy of or support illegal settlements in the oPt or the occupied Syrian Golan. Charities also must ensure their activities to not support violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention. However, this is not all. Support for Israel's occupation, including through the military, illegal settlements, or otherwise, contravene the 2024 International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion (2024 ICJ AO).
Specifically, Canada has a legal responsibility to examine charities in regard to "their dealings with the State of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory".
Therefore, we demand the CRA:
1. Remove the "qualified donee" status of the Israeli post-secondary institutions on the basis of their ties to the Israeli military and occupation.
2. Investigate the associated Canadian organizations and their donors, as well as the charities providing direct funding to these Israeli post-secondary institutions
3. Revoke the charitable status of the eight associated Canadian organizations on the basis of their failure to abide by Canadian public policy, support for a foreign military, and contributing to upholding the illegal occupation.
4. Review all "qualified donees" on the list of universities outside of Canada on the basis of domestic and international law, Canadian government policy, and CRA policy.
5. Ensure reporting is followed so that funds listed on Line 5050 to qualified donees are included on Form T1236.
6. Implement an upgraded system that flags these clear and obvious discrepancies, in particular for charities providing funds outside of Canada, especially where funds are going towards a State implicated in genocide by the International Court of Justice.
7. Explicitly require charities to provide additional information on Schedule 2 regarding any funding listed on Line 4910.
