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UK charities accused of donating millions of pounds to illegal Israeli settlements

A lawmaker has revealed that 32 charities in England and Wales donated at least £28 million to Israeli settlements in the occupied territories that are considered illegal under international law.

Labour MP Melanie Ward described the situation as "deeply regrettable," stating that if Gift Aid tax relief had been claimed through standard procedures for these donations, UK taxpayers would effectively have contributed £5.6 million toward funding the illegal settlements.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced on Tuesday that the Charity Commission had been tasked with examining the links between British charities and Israeli settlements.

Ward, who previously served as chief executive of the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), detailed the activities of the organizations in a letter to the Charity Commission, calling on the regulator to investigate them and remove them from the register of charities.

In her letter, Ward stressed that the existence and expansion of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories are widely recognized internationally as one of the greatest obstacles to peace.

Ward argued that any activities funded by these 32 organizations that support the protection and expansion of settlements constitute extremism. She said such activities are not in the UK public interest and risk providing material and financial support for violations of international law.

ALLEGATIONS OF FUNDING RADICAL GROUPS


Among the organizations named in the letter were Kasner Charitable Trust (KCT) and UK Toremet. Reports published last year found that UK Toremet acted as an intermediary and that the two organizations together donated approximately £5.7 million to the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva high school in Susya, an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Ward said that researchers who examined English- and Hebrew-language documents found that the Kasner Foundation had also made donations to a religious school in Hebron.

The letter further alleged that in 2022, UK Toremet donated £38,479 to Regavim, a radical settler organization that supports the demolition of Palestinian homes and has been sanctioned by the European Union.

It also noted that donations could be channelled through the "Jgive" platform, which processes contributions in pounds sterling for UK Toremet, to other settler groups, including Shivat Zion Lerigvy Admata, which the UK announced on Tuesday would be subject to sanctions.

CHARITIES DEFEND THEIR ACTIVITIES


A spokesperson for UK Toremet said the Charity Commission had previously confirmed that the organization was operating lawfully. The spokesperson argued that payments processed through Jgive were approved only after the necessary due diligence had been completed and were directed toward projects that met charitable objectives.

The spokesperson added that Shivat Zion Lerigvy Admata was not an approved recipient under the organization's grant-making framework. They also said that the donation made to Regavim was intended for a project within Israel's pre-1967 borders and that the group is no longer included on the list of approved recipients.

In previous statements, the Kasner Charitable Trust maintained that its donations were made for educational purposes and had been approved by the Charity Commission.

Labour MP Melanie Ward stressed that providing funds to support illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories could not be considered a charitable activity. She argued that such support was inconsistent with positions adopted by the United Nations, successive UK governments, and the International Court of Justice. Ward also noted that the issue is being examined by the International Criminal Court in the context of alleged war crimes.

Yaser Alkam, a Palestinian American living in Turmus Ayya who said he was attacked by settlers while harvesting olives last year, stated that donations to these outposts and settlements have a direct impact on Palestinian landowners and help create conditions that allow such abuses to continue.

A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said the serious allegations raised by Ward were being carefully assessed. The spokesperson added that the regulator was actively examining broader legal and compliance issues involving charities operating in the Palestinian territories and would take the necessary time to conduct a thorough review, given the complexity and sensitivity of the matter.



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