Charity watchdog investigating UK Lawyers for Israel's charitable trust
The UK's charity regulator is investigating the fundraising arm of UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), a pro-Israel advocacy organisation, over concerns that its some of its activities may fall outside the scope of its charitable objectives.
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission confirmed to Middle East Eye that it is investigating the UKLFI Charitable Trust’s relationship with UK Lawyers for Israel, a separate non-profit organisation.
“We can confirm that we already have an active case open into UKLFI Charitable Trust,” the spokesperson told MEE.
“Further concerns have been raised with us about the charity, which we will assess as part of the case to determine what, if any, role there is for us as regulator.”
The spokesperson clarified that the ongoing case centres on the relationship between the UKLFI Charitable Trust, a registered charity, and its parent organisation, UK Lawyers for Israel, which is not a charity and therefore falls outside the commission’s regulatory remit.
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The commission did not specify how long the investigation will take or what findings, if any, have been produced so far.
'Further concerns have been raised with us about the charity, which we will assess as part of the case to determine what, if any, role there is for us as regulator'
- Charity Commission
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) is a legal advocacy organisation that supports Israel by using legal and regulatory tools to challenge activities and campaigns it views as anti-Israel or unlawful.
UKLFI Charitable Trust is the charitable arm of UKLFI, supporting educational and legal initiatives related to Israel and international law. The charity says it focuses on promoting public understanding of legal issues concerning Israel and combating antisemitism through lawful means.
According to the UKLFI Charitable Trust's website, UKLFI set it up in September 2016 "to facilitate fund raising from UK donors for parts of its activities that are charitable under UK law".
The commission's decision to investigate UKLFI Charitable Trust comes amid growing calls to examine the group's charitable status and assess whether it is fulfilling its charitable objectives.
UKLFI did not respond to Middle East Eye's request for comment at the time of writing.
Warning to charity funding Israeli soldiers
Earlier this week, the Charity Commission issued a warnings against the UK Association for Welfare of Israeli Soldiers (UK-AWIS), which fundraises for Israeli soldiers, for posting a "distressing" video on its website.
The Charity Commission said the London-based UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers (UK-AWIS) had “breached their legal duties” after publishing a video appealing for donations to support Israeli forces involved in the war against Hamas.
The video, which has since been removed from UK-AWIS’s website, Facebook and YouTube pages, appeared to show a person being killed as part of a montage of footage featuring air strikes and combat scenes, similar to promotional content produced by the Israeli military.
Pro-Palestine groups have accused UKLFI's advocacy arm of using the law to stifle and silence critics of Israel.
Last year, UKLFI opposed a Palestinian kite-making workshop, claiming it evoked militant imagery and could harm community relations, claims the organisers vehemently deny. The council cancelled the event at its venue, but it went ahead elsewhere.
At Barts Health NHS Trust, UKLFI complaints led to a ban on all political symbols after staff wore pro-Palestine badges. Critics called it selective and discriminatory; several staff are now suing the trust for suppressing free expression.
Last week, Led by Donkeys, a British political campaign group, projected a video outside the Charity Commission’s office calling for an investigation into UK Lawyers for Israel charitable trust.
The campaign group accused UKLFI of violating charity regulations by engaging in political lobbying and endorsing far-right Israeli politicians, rather than remaining educational or neutral as required by law.
Earlier this year, Cage International submitted a complaint to the Charity Commission against UKLFI and another advocacy organisation, the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), over their support for Israel and its war on Gaza.
The CAA did not respond to MEE's request for comment at the time of writing.
'UKLFI and CAA are Britain’s leading enablers of the livestreamed genocide. They aid regulators like the Charity Commission to stifle pro-Palestinian activism in the UK'
- Anas Mustapha, Cage International
The complaint followed the publication of a report by Cage International titled "Britain's Apartheid Apologists", which accused UKLFI and CAA of abusing “regulatory authorities in Britain to attack and harass” pro-Palestinian voices in the UK.
“UKLFI and CAA are Britain’s leading enablers of the livestreamed genocide. They aid regulators like the Charity Commission to stifle free speech and pro-Palestinian activism in the UK," said Anas Mustapha, head of public advocacy at Cage International.
“The Charity Commission must end its charity cover used to provide an advocacy infrastructure in support of genocide.”
In January, the Charity's Commission said "it is not lawful" for British charities to raise funds or send money to soldiers fighting for the Israeli army.
This statement comes after the Commission issued a warning against Chabad Lubavitch Centres North East London and Essex Limited after the charity received 180 complaints for raising money for a soldier fighting for the Israeli army in northern Israel.
Since October 2023, the Charity Commission has opened more than 200 regulatory cases related to the war on Gaza.
The commission said the investigations involved charities with different positions on the war.
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