ICJP urges investigation into UK charity over support for illegal Israeli settlement

Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 09/16/2026 - 09:34 A probe reveals the Gainsborough Trust is among six charities that have sent £2m to settlements in the last three years

The new Israeli settlement of Maale Arugot on the day of its inauguration ceremony in Gush Etzion, in the occupied West Bank, on 2 September 2026 (Dedi Hayun/Reuters) Off

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) has urged the British Charity Commission to investigate a UK-registered charity over its support for an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.

The legal group said it had submitted a formal complaint regarding the Gainsborough Trust's publicly listed objectives, which include "to collect and distribute funding… to benefit inhabitants of Modiin Illit, Israel and the surrounding areas".

Pointing to Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's announcement that the UK government considers the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories to be illegal, the ICJP urged the Charity Commission to investigate "and make a determination on whether a charity registered in England may lawfully define the inhabitants of an illegal Israeli settlement in the oPt as its ‘beneficiaries’".

It added that the Commission "must also consider whether the trustees have properly discharged their duties in administering the charity and collecting and distributing funds for its benefit".

Under UK law, funds raised by registered charities must be used for charitable purposes or for public benefit.

On Wednesday, a Declassified investigation revealed that the Gainsborough Trust is among six British charities that appear to have funnelled nearly £2m to illegal Israeli settlements over the last three years.

According to the report, the Trust registered an income of over £448,000 between 2021 and 2025.

While the amount of money that went to Modiin Illit is unclear, as its annual reports do not name recipients, they state that around £120,000 went to institutions identified as "higher education", and £70,000 to institutions labelled as "basic education of Jewish principles".

What will Britain’s new sanctions on Israeli settlements actually target? Read More »

The charity also set £2,595 to a "Religious Center for Prayer and Learning", as well as making grants to "destitute families" and "poor brides".

In June, the Charity Commission said it had launched a statutory inquiry into eight charities, after Labour MP Melanie Ward accused 32 British charities of sending £28m to illegal Israeli settlements.

The ICJP highlighted that the UK's recent sanctions announcement reaffirms the illegal nature of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine, bringing it in line with an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in 2024.

Orlaith Roe, the ICJP’s public affairs and communications officer, said that the move "makes the need for that scrutiny even clearer".

"Having recognised that Israel’s occupation is unlawful and announced measures to ban economic activity connected to illegal settlements, there can be no inconsistency when it comes to the charitable sector," she said.

"The Charity Commission must ensure that UK charities are not being used as a vehicle to support activities that are unlawful, political or otherwise outside their exclusively charitable purposes."

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