London, 11 September 2026 – The Charity Commission has issued regulatory advice and guidance to the trustees of the Board of Deputies Charitable Foundation following a complaint by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP).
ICJP submitted the complaint on 22 June 2026, following public statements made by the Board of Deputies of British Jews concerning protests outside Edgware United Synagogue, where the “Great Israeli Real Estate” event was held on 14 June.
The Board publicly claimed that the protest had been organised on “bogus grounds”, relying on assurances from the event organisers that properties beyond the Green Line would not be marketed. It characterised the protest as an attempt to “harass and intimidate members of the Jewish community”.
However, material distributed at the event referred to property developments in several illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The organisers subsequently apologised for the inclusion of some of those developments in the event brochure.
ICJP’s complaint raised concerns about the failure to correct or withdraw the Board’s statements after evidence emerged substantiating the protesters’ concerns. It argued that the statements risked misrepresenting a protest against activities connected to Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise as an attack upon a synagogue or the Jewish community.
In its response, the Charity Commission noted that the statements appeared to have been issued by The Board of Deputies of British Jews Limited, rather than the charitable foundation itself. Nevertheless, the Commission considered it appropriate to issue advice and guidance to the charity’s trustees under section 15(2) of the Charities Act 2011.
The Commission confirmed that it has reminded the charity’s trustees of the risks that arise where a charity “is, or is perceived to be, closely associated with a company, particularly in relation to public statements and communications”.
The Commission will retain the information provided by ICJP and may take it into account in any future regulatory engagement with the charity.
Shaima Dallali, ICJP’s Legal Researcher, said:
“The Board of Deputies dismissed a lawful protest against the marketing of property in illegal Israeli settlements as being based on “bogus grounds”. But the evidence proved otherwise: promotional materials for properties in illegal settlements were distributed at the event, and the organisers were subsequently forced to apologise.
“Palestinians are being driven from their land while that same land is marketed to buyers abroad, including in the UK. These are not ordinary property exhibitions. They are part of the economic infrastructure that sustains Israel’s unlawful occupation and settlement enterprise. Those who protested were challenging precisely the activity that the UK Government is now moving to prohibit.
The Board of Deputies must correct the public record.”
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.
- For more information, to arrange an interview with a spokesperson, please contact the ICJP news desk at [email protected].
Image: Julian Stallabrass via Wikimedia Commons
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