UK Charities Accused of Donating Millions to Israeli Settlements
A Labour MP has identified 32 charities in England and Wales that have donated at least £28 million to Israeli settlements deemed illegal under international law, with an estimated £5.6 million in taxpayer subsidies through gift aid. The UK Foreign Secretary has tasked the Charity Commission with investigating charities' links to settlements. The case raises questions about whether charitable donations supporting settlement expansion comply with UK law and international legal standards.
Labour MP Melanie Ward has presented evidence that 32 registered charities in England and Wales have collectively donated at least £28 million to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law. If gift aid claims were processed as usual, the donations would have been subsidised by approximately £5.6 million in UK taxpayer funds. Ward's investigation, which examined documents in both English and Hebrew, identified specific charities including the Kasner Charitable Trust and UK Toremet, which together donated approximately £5.7 million to a yeshiva in Susya. The research also found donations to Regavim, a pro-settler group subject to EU sanctions, and other organisations supporting settlement expansion. The UK Foreign Secretary announced that the Charity Commission has been tasked with investigating these links, and the government has imposed new sanctions on settlement-supporting groups. Ward argues that funding settlements contradicts charitable purposes and violates international law, a position supported by UN bodies, the International Court of Justice, and an ongoing International Criminal Court investigation.
What's missing
The article does not include responses from the named charities beyond brief statements from UK Toremet and KCT. A more complete account would include detailed rebuttals or explanations from all 32 charities identified, as well as clarification on the legal distinction between donations to settlements versus donations to educational or humanitarian projects within those areas.
What different sources said
Charities in England and Wales ‘donate millions to illegal Israeli settlements’
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