BY COLE SINANIAN
news@queensledger.com
LONG ISLAND CITY — Astoria State Assemblymember Diana Moreno reintroduced a bill Friday that would prohibit registered New York State nonprofits from funding Israeli violations of international law in occupied Palestine.
The bill, officially titled the “Not on our dime!: Ending New York funding of Israeli settler violence act,” seeks to stop state-registered, tax-exempt charities from funding violations of international law in the West Bank and Gaza. It would amend the state’s not-for-profit corporation law to include a section prohibiting “unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity” and the “unlawful transfer of Israeli civilians into occupied territories.”
Originally introduced by now-Mayor Zohran Mamdani back when he was the Astoria assemblymember, the “Not on our dime act” is supported in the State Senate by Senators Jabari Brisport, while it’s co-sponsored by Kristen Gonzalez, Julia Salazar and Robert Jackson, as well as Assemblymembers Claire Valdez, Emily Gallagher Marcela Mitaynes, Phara Souffrant Forrest, Sarahana Shrestha, Jessica González-Rojas, Steven Raga, and Yonkers representative Nader Sayegh.
If passed, the bill would further align New York state law with that of the Geneva Convention and the International Criminal Court, which defines Israeli settlements in Palestine as illegal. A March 2026 United Nations Human Rights Council report documented more than 36,000 Palestinians pushed out of their homes by Israeli settlers between November 2024 and October 2025 and more than 1,700 incidents of settler violence. Several organizations registered as tax-exempt charities in New York State fund illegal Israeli settlements, sending more than $60 million to Israeli settler groups annually.
At a press conference outside CUNY Law School in Long Island City Friday morning, several politicians and representatives from local organizations spoke in support of the legislation.
“Too often, New York State supports organizations and military units responsible for the violent displacement and atrocities against Palestinian people by allowing them to operate as charities in violation of International law,” Moreno said. “I join Palestinian and human rights organizations, labor unions, and my colleagues in the state legislature to finally stop our state from subsidizing these atrocities.”
“We have a moral responsibility to defend human rights and push back against displacement and violence,” added Senator Gonzalez. “Our tax dollars should not support violations of international law in the West Bank or anywhere, and we can make that possible by passing the Not On Our Dime Act.”
“As Jewish New Yorkers, we are horrified that New York State has been subsidizing illegal settlement expansion and state violence against Palestinians,” said Jay Saper, member of Jewish Voice for Peace. “As Israel illegally annexes the West Bank and settler violence escalates, the call has never been clearer: New Yorkers do not stand for funding war crimes.”
