UK charity reported to regulator over fundraising for Israeli soldiers

A UK-based charity has been reported to the UK's charity regulator by a legal group for allegedly spreading hate speech and raising funds for soldiers in the Israeli army. The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), headquartered in the UK, has filed a formal complaint with the Charity Commission against the Mizrachi Israel Support Trust, or Mizrachi UK.

Mizrachi UK is a UK-based charity whose stated aim is to provide vocational training for the British Jewish community, as well as elected representatives in the UK and Israel. The organization describes itself as "the leading Religious Zionist framework in the UK." The ICJP included in its complaint screenshots from Mizrachi UK's newsletters, Facebook page, and website showing the charity actively raising funds for soldiers fighting in the Israeli army.

The posts submitted by ICJP include Mizrachi UK appeals for donations to its Tzevet Perez Emergency Fund, which raises money to pay for tactical equipment provided to soldiers, including ceramic bulletproof plates, tactical helmets, and sundries such as mattresses, tents, and warm clothing. The complaint also includes quotes from speakers at Mizrachi UK events, with one speaker referring to Palestinians as "devils, cruel animals, not animals." Another called for Israelis to "drown" Palestinians in Gaza, "like we drowned Pharaoh and his people in Egypt."

Mira Naseer, legal officer at ICJP, said the organization was concerned to see a growing number of charities raising funds for soldiers in the Israeli army. "Allowing UK charities to fundraise for illegal purposes and spread divisive rhetoric undermines public trust in the charity sector," Naseer said. "The Charity Commission must investigate and take robust action against any wrongdoing: anything less is not enough."

A Charity Commission spokesperson confirmed to Middle East Eye that they had "received a complaint about Mizrachi (UK) Israel Support Trust and [are] assessing the information to determine any next steps." Mizrachi UK did not respond to a request for comment at the time of writing.

The ICJP's complaint follows a January announcement by the Charity Commission that it was illegal for UK charities to fundraise or send money to soldiers in the Israeli army. This came after Chabad Lubavitch Centres North East London and Essex Limited received a warning from the commission after it received 180 complaints about its fundraising for a soldier stationed in northern Israel.

In October 2023, Chabad Lubavitch Centres North East London and Essex Limited set up a fundraising page for a soldier stationed in northern Israel. The page was eventually taken down in January 2024, having raised around £2,280 ($2,804). The charity remitted £937 to a soldier from it. Since October 2023, the Charity Commission has opened more than 200 regulatory cases relating to the war on Gaza.

The commission has said that the investigations involve charities holding different positions on the war. Rights groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, have accused Israeli forces of committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza. Last year, the charity regulator told MEE that it was assessing a complaint against AAC, a Jewish fundraising organization accused of facilitating donations to an Israeli charity that provides equipment to soldiers fighting in Gaza.

The Charity Commission has also said it is investigating Boys Clubhouse, a charity based in Hendon, north London, after it hosted an event to celebrate the return to the UK of a British man who had been fighting for the Israeli army in Gaza.