UK: Legal group calls on attorney general to revoke charity status of Jewish National Fund
A legal advocacy group has written to the UK attorney general calling on him to revoke the charitable status of the UK branch of Israel's Jewish National Fund over its role in funding illegal Israeli settlements and the Israeli military.
The International Centre for Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) urged Richard Hermer KC to revoke the charitable status of the British-based group, arguing in its letter that the issue was a matter of public interest.
The legal group pointed to Hermer's duty as the protector of charities and the charity sector in the UK to ensure that charities are not participating in unlawful activities.
JNF UK charity is the UK arm of Israeli group Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, which was founded more than a century ago.
The organisation, which was set up in 1901 to buy land in Palestine, has long been involved with the displacement of Palestinians and destruction of the natural environment in the occupied Palestinian Territories.
As a registered charity, its UK arm receives tax relief on donations.
In a press release, the ICJP pointed to a recent decision by the Canada Revenue Agency to strip JNF Canada of its charitable status, after a financial audit revealed that its donations had been used to build military infrastructure.
The letter comes after a series of complaints filed with the Charity Commission raised concerns that UK-based organisations had been facilitating donations and Gift Aid to fund Israel’s war on Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territories.
In December, campaign groups urged the Charity Commission to investigate the UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel’s Soldiers for raising money for Israeli soldiers fighting in Gaza.
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