Charities in England and Wales ‘donate millions to illegal Israeli settlements’ | Charities
32 charities in England and Wales have donated at least £28 million to Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, an MP has said.
Labour’s Melanie Ward said that if gift aid was claimed in the usual way against donations it would mean taxpayers were subsidizing illegal settlements to the tune of £5.6 million, which was deplorable. Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper The Charity Commission has been tasked with investigating UK charities’ links to settlements, it announced on Tuesday.
Ward, the former chief executive of Medical Aid to Palestinians, revealed details of his recent activities in a letter to the commission and called on the regulator to take action by investigating these individuals and removing them from the charity register.
He writes: “The existence and growth of Israeli settlements in the state of Palestine is recognized worldwide as one of the greatest obstacles to peace. Any activity supporting the maintenance and expansion of Israeli settlements – such as those funded by these 32 ‘charities’ – is extremist and not in the best interest of the UK public. It also risks being used materially and financially in violation of international law.”
Among the charities he names are the Kasner Charitable Trust (KCT) and UK Toremet, which the Guardian revealed last year combined to donate nearly £5.7 million to Bnei Akiva Yeshiva High School in Susya in the Israeli-occupied West Bank (the latter acting as a conduit).
Ward said researchers examining documents in English and Hebrew found that Kasner also donated to a yeshiva in the Palestinian city of Hebron, while UK Toremet donated £38,479 in 2022 to Regavim, an extremist pro-settlement group that supports the demolition of Palestinian homes and is backed by the EU. imposed sanctions.
Through the Jgive platform, where UK Toremet processes UK currency donations, people can donate to Regavim and other pro-settlement groups, including Shivat Zion Lerigvy Admata, which the UK announced it would sanction on Tuesday.
A UK Toremet spokesman said the Charity Commission found this to be lawful and only processes Jgive payments after due diligence and if they are for a project that complies with charitable purposes.
The spokesman said Shivat Zion Lerigvy Admata was not an approved recipient under the UK Toremet’s grantmaking framework, the donation to Regavim was for a project within Israel’s pre-1967 borders and was no longer an approved recipient.
When consulted earlier, KCT said its donations were for educational purposes and had been approved by the commission.
Ward said the provision of funds to support illegal settlements in Palestine was not a charitable act and did not comply with UK or international law on settlement activities, a position taken by “the United Nations, successive UK governments, the international court of justice and a matter that has been the subject of an international criminal court investigation on grounds of war crimes”.
Yaser Alkam, a Palestinian-American who lives in the village of Turmuş Ayya in the occupied West Bank and was attacked by settlers last year while trying to collect his olives, said: “Donations made to these outposts and these settlements directly affect the Palestinians who own the lands in these areas.
“You provide the means for these crimes to continue and thrive.”
A Charity Commission spokesman said the “serious issues” raised by Ward were being carefully considered.
“As we have previously confirmed, we are actively considering wider legal and compliance issues regarding charities operating in Palestine,” the spokesman said. “We know that this is a complex and highly controversial issue and it is therefore right that we take the time necessary to fully consider these issues.”
