“Amazement,” “hope,” “a bright spot in a great darkness” and “all is not lost” were just some of the reactions I heard from activists of Physicians of Human Rights (PHR) on June 27 after they raised one million shekels ($280 million) in a 48-hour crowdfunding campaign that will keep their doors open. Many of the donors were Israelis moved by the modest campaign featuring the queen of Israeli theater, actor Gila Almagor.

It was the first crowdfunding drive in the organization’s 30-year history, a response by its directors to a long-running and aggressive campaign by the Israeli right to delegitimize PHR and other human rights and anti-occupation bodies as “Israel-haters.”

Numerous tactics have been employed over the years to curb the activities of these groups and dry up their funding sources. Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked promoted legislation cynically named the “transparency law” designed to curtail nongovernmental organizations fundraising capacity abroad. The law, adopted in July 2016, was phrased in a way that does not affect right-wing NGOs, including radical ones that raise tens of millions of dollars for their activities from foreign donors who identify with the settlement enterprise.

“The public and its representatives have a right to know who is stirring the pot,” Shaked said when explaining the bill. In her view, support by foreign governments for certain NGOs “undermines the authority of the government elected by the people.” For her, an organization that does not toe the government line and opposes its occupation of Palestinian territory must be reined in as much as possible.