Piecemeal settler sanctions not enough – Foreign Office must address root financial complicity of settler violence by sanctioning World Zionist Organization
28th October 2024- Today, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) has written to the Foreign Office calling for sanctions on the World Zionist Organization (WZO) for their role in transferring funds to sanctioned illegal Israeli settlements and settlers, following revelations from a BBC Eye investigation.
The letter calls on the government to consider sanctions against WZO in line with the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020 (GHRS). Under the GHRS, WZO would meet the sanctions threshold if there are ‘reasonable grounds to suspect that it is an involved person responsible for serious violations for the right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment.’
WZO describes itself as an organisation ‘committed to promoting Zionism & the Zionist idea and the Zionist enterprise’. In order to achieve this, the WZO works on ‘promoting the settlement of Jewish farmers, artisans, and tradesmen in Palestine.’
Even though the WZO does not publish individual dealings with Israeli settlers, documents that have been obtained by Israeli organisation Peace Now and revealed in a BBC Eye Investigations documentary released on 3 September 2024, which show contracts allocating large areas of land in the illegally occupied West Bank for grazing and farming signed between the WZO and illegal Israeli settlers. Amongst those with whom WZO has signed contracts are Israeli settlers sanctioned in the UK – Moshe Sharvit, Eden Levi and Zvi Bar Yosef.
WZO’s UK affiliate is called the Zionist Foundation UK (ZFUK). It was previously registered as a charity under the name ‘Shalom Foundation’, which was subsequently removed from the charities register on 23rd August 2024. Despite this removal, ZFUK’s website still shows that a page receives Gift Aid donations, meaning UK taxpayer money is still being used to fund illegal settlement activities.
The call for action against WZO also follows the latest round of sanctions issued by the UK government against three settlement outposts and four settler organisations on the 16th September 2024. However, it is not sufficient to issue piecemeal sanctions against settlers, without addressing the root causes. Financial complicity in illegal settlements must be addressed directly by the government, especially when umbrella organisations such as the WZO have British affiliates.
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international humanitarian law, (IHL), forming a crucial part of Israel’s illegal occupation and settlement expansion of the occupied Palestine territory (oPt), as ruled on by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the 19th July 2024.
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
- The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians is an independent organisation of lawyers, politicians and academics who support the rights of Palestinians and aim to protect their rights through the law.
- A full copy of the original letter can be requested by journalists for reference by contacting the press office at ICJP at press@icjpalestine.com.