An unprecedented sum of 120 million shekels ($33.8 million) directly funded the campaign and protest demonstrations against the judicial reform in 2023, with the entire amount channeled through a single nonprofit organization. While right-wing critics had repeatedly claimed these protests were not spontaneous but rather a planned campaign supported by substantial funding, newly revealed documents now provide concrete evidence of the scale of financial backing.
Analysis of documents submitted to the Israeli Registrar of Nonprofits by Blue White Future confirms this as one of the most expensive political campaigns in Israeli history. The invested sum of over 120 million shekels stands unmatched compared to other social advocacy organizations. Approximately half the funds supported field organizations orchestrating nationwide demonstrations, while the remainder financed public relations professionals and media campaigns across traditional and social platforms.
Blue White Future distributed funds to various organizations including Brothers in Arms, Bonot Alternativa ("Women Building an Alternative") – which organized the "Handmaid's March" – and numerous other protest groups, including those in academia. Documents exposed on the Mida website additionally reveal the organization's engagement of a Washington public relations firm for a three-month period at 75,000 dollars, specifically to advance its positions with the Biden administration.
Founded in 2009 as "Blue White Peace" before quickly adopting its current name, the organization's stated mission focuses on advancing a two-state solution to preserve Israel's Jewish and democratic character. Key figures include Orni Petruschka, Attorney Gilead Sher – former chief of staff to Ehud Barak and Oslo/Camp David negotiating team member – and Ami Ayalon, who previously headed the Shin Bet and served in the Labor Party.
The organization maintained relatively modest operations for most of its existence, with annual donations ranging from 150,000 to 1 million shekels. A notable expansion occurred in 2020 during protests against the sovereignty initiative in Judea and Samaria, though the budget remained under 7 million shekels, primarily from US sources.
The dramatic escalation in both activities and funding emerged in 2023. According to Attorney Sher, prominent activists including Shikma Bressler, Ilan Shiloah, Dan Halutz, and Orni Petruschka convened on December 14, 2022 – after the right's electoral victory but before the new government's installation – to establish the "Steering Committee of the Campaign Headquarters." From January 2023, the organization substantially expanded its operations, hiring executive staff and collaborating with various partners. It later modified its bylaws to provide members with insurance and legal protection against potential lawsuits.
Financial reports indicate the organization's 2023 turnover approached 160 million shekels ($45 million), with 120 million shekels specifically allocated to opposing Minister Yariv Levin's judicial reform. This included 56 million shekels for public relations and media campaigns, 50 million shekels for "field activities to strengthen democracy," 2.2 million shekels for legal assistance to detained protesters, 2 million shekels for salaries, 1.8 million for logistics and facilities, 680,000 shekels for project management, and 300,000 shekels for international travel.
While substantial, these figures represent only part of the anti-reform protest funding, as Blue White Future served as just one of several financial channels supporting the movement.
Documentation filed with the Registrar of Associations (which registers all Israeli non-profit organizations) leaves significant questions about funding sources unanswered. While over 83 million shekels ($23.4 million) originated from abroad, primarily the United States, tracing specific sources proves challenging. The largest single donation – nearly 64 million shekels – came through PEF Israel, an organization that facilitates tax-deductible donations from the US to Israel, obscuring the original donors.
Another significant contributor, the Middle East Peace Dialogue Network (MEPDN), increased its typical annual donation from hundreds of thousands of shekels to 14 million shekels in 2023. The American website Data Republican claims MEPDN functioned as an indirect channel for USAID funds, though Blue White Future categorically denies receiving any US government funding.
Israeli donations, totaling over 71 million shekels, prove more traceable. Prominent donors include billionaires and millionaires such as Morris Kahn, Ora Stibbe– former left-wing MK Stav Shaffir's mother-in-law, Israeli-Canadian billionaire Mark Scheinberg – who previously backed Gideon Saar's New Hope party with loan guarantees– Paz Litman, and Jonathan Kolber.
Corporate donors included Paragon – associated with former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Paradox Capital – linked to influential Israeli businessman and media advertising figure Ilan Shiloah, and Zur Shamir Holdings, owner of Direct Insurance. Additional supporters included the Underwater Observatory in Eilat, Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek (1 million shekels), Kibbutz Gilad (250,000 shekels), and former left-wing MK Zehava Galon's NGO Zulat , which contributed over 250,000 shekels toward legal defense for arrested protesters. Some donors received the registrar's official permission to remain anonymous.
In response to these findings, Blue White Future emphatically denied receiving any funding from USAID or other US government sources, dismissing such claims as "fake news."
