Key facts
- The Charity Commission is investigating UK charities for donating to illegal Israeli settlements.
- The investigation was prompted by The Guardian's reporting and a complaint from MP Melanie Ward.
- At least 32 charities are suspected of donating approximately £28 million to settlements.
- The inquiry will initially focus on eight unnamed charities.
- The commission will assess if charitable funds were used for purposes outside their stated charitable aims.
The Charity Commission in England and Wales has initiated a formal investigation into charities suspected of channeling funds to illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine. This inquiry follows extensive reporting by The Guardian and a formal complaint lodged by Labour MP Melanie Ward, who alleged that at least 32 charities had collectively transferred around £28 million to settlements deemed illegal under international law.
Stephen Roake, assistant director of high-risk compliance at the commission, stated that the investigation's primary goal is to establish the facts surrounding these serious allegations and determine if regulatory action is warranted. The probe will initially concentrate on eight unnamed charities identified through recent concerns raised with the commission. The commission indicated that the number of charities under scrutiny may expand over time.
Previously, in June, the then foreign secretary Yvette Cooper had informed Parliament that she had requested the regulator to investigate, expressing concerns that "charity systems are abused to funnel support to illegal settlements" and that "some evidence suggests that rules are being broken." Cooper also voiced worries about UK gift aid potentially being directed to these settlements.
MP Melanie Ward, alongside 140 Labour colleagues, has advocated for a ban on such donations rather than an inquiry, noting that the commission was reportedly aware of the issue since July of the previous year but had not taken action. The commission has shared information regarding the scope of its investigation with the police and HMRC, though the Metropolitan police's war crimes unit is not currently investigating any charities in this regard.
Recent reporting also highlighted a British charity that provided nearly £200,000 between 2019 and 2024 to a religious school at the center of expansion plans for the illegal Israeli settlement in Hebron. This expansion was approved after Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich altered an international agreement concerning control of Hebron. Labour MP Abtisam Mohamed welcomed the investigation but urged the commission to swiftly address all 32 implicated charities, describing funding illegal settlements as "extremist activity linked to the violence and dispossession of Palestinians."