Israeli democracy and the right of association: the first attempt to pass a nonprofit organisations bill in Israel 1948–1954

The main legal instrument that regulates the right of association for nonprofit purposes in Israel is the Amutot (Non-Profit Organisations) Law, 1980 (hereinafter: the NPO Law and, preceding its passage, the NPO Bill). It creates a legal framework for associations that pursue a socially or culturally shared goal as opposed to a business purpose. This article describes the first chapter of the legislative process (1948–1954) that led eventually to the enactment of the 1980 statute. It focuses on two central issues: the extent of governmental discretion that may be applied in registering an NPO and in taking one apart. Our main argument is that the professional and public debate over these issues and the incidence or exceptioning of political parties from the bounds of the NPO Bill reflected the tension between the various Democratic approaches that held sway in the corridors of Israel’s governing system during early years of statehood.