London, 15 September 2026 – The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) has submitted a formal complaint to the Charity Commission about the Gainsborough Trust, a UK-registered charity (No. 1008543), regarding the charity’s publicly registered objectives and activities, which identify its beneficiaries as the inhabitants of Modiin Illit, an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.
ICJP’s complaint set out detailed evidence of Gainsborough Trust’s publicly listed objectives and activities which include, as stated on the Charity Commission’s public register, “to collect and distribute funding … to benefit inhabitants of Modiin Illit, Israel and the surrounding areas …”.
Given Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (“oPt”) are illegal under international law, a position which has been reaffirmed last week by the Foreign Secretary’s announcement on UK sanctions against Israel, our complaint outlines the need for 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’. As part of any investigation, the Charity Commission must also consider whether the trustees have properly discharged their duties in administering the charity and collecting and distributing funds for its benefit.
As part of ICJP’s charity and corporate complicity work, we have previously submitted complaints to the Charity Commission evidencing various UK-registered charities who have used donations from the UK to finance groups based in illegal Israeli settlements, a violation of UK charity law.
While previous regulatory advice issued by the Charity Commission to various charities is a welcome step, the grave nature of these violations cannot go unchecked. UK charity law prohibits the use of charitable funds for political or illegal purposes. Therefore, any charity funding operations in Israeli settlements that support settlement expansion or non-charitable activities is in violation of its statutory duties.
Additionally, the UK Government’s recent sanctions announcement upholds the illegal nature of Israeli settlements in the oPt as outlined under international law. That position is reinforced by the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 Advisory Opinion, which confirmed that states must not recognise as lawful, or assist in maintaining, Israel’s unlawful presence in the oPt, including Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise which continues to expand rapidly and is considered one of the most dangerous policies of the Israeli Government.
Órlaith Roe, ICJP’s Public Affairs and Communications Officer, said:
“ICJP has consistently put evidence before the Charity Commission raising serious questions about UK charitable funds being used to support activities and entities in illegal Israeli settlements. We continue to do this not only to draw attention to the use of UK charitable funds in sustaining the settlement enterprise, but to urge the Charity Commission to use the full range of its regulatory powers.
The government’s recent announcements make 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. 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.”
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: Eliyau1234 via Wikimedia Commons
