The UK’s charity regulator has launched an investigation into several British charities donating funds to illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine.
The Charity Commission said the probe will look into how funds were used in illegal settlements, the purpose of these funds and whether they fit charitable purposes.
Stephen Roake, assistant director of high-risk compliance at the Charity Commission, confirmed that the charity regulator would begin investigating eight unnamed charities.
“Serious allegations have been made about UK charities operating in illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine. Our first step is to establish the facts,” Roake said in a statement.
“Only then can we determine if regulatory action is required, based on our findings and the evidence we see. Our fact-finding will also help us develop regulatory guidance for charities, which will help to ensure public trust and confidence in charities.”
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Last month, Middle East Eye revealed details of a London synagogue holding an event advertising illegal Israeli settlements.
Photos of brochures and leaflets from the event given exclusively to MEE showed the event advertising properties in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.
The event led to a UK legal group, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, submitting a formal complaint to the Charity Commission.
The Charity Commission’s announcement also comes after the charity regulator declared it unlawful for British charities to raise funds or send money to soldiers in the Israeli army.
Since October 2023, the commission has opened more than 200 regulatory cases related to the war on Gaza. It said the investigations involved charities with different positions on the war.
Israeli forces in Gaza have been accused of war crimes and genocide by organisations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
In 2024, the charity regulator told Middle East Eye it was assessing a complaint against AAC, a Jewish fundraising organisation accused of facilitating donations to an Israeli charity providing equipment to soldiers fighting in Gaza.
The Charity Commission also said it was investigating the Boys Clubhouse, a charity based in Hendon, north London, after it held an event marking the return to the UK of a British man who had been fighting for the Israeli army in Gaza.
