PRESSURE mounted today to strip the Jewish National Fund UK (JNF) of its charitable status over its role in funding illegal Israeli settlements and the Israeli military.

Legal advocacy group the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) filed a formal complaint today demanding the Charity Commission investigates the British arm of the JNF, which was originally set up in 1901 to buy land in Palestine.

JNF UK’s financial statements from 2007-2023 reveal that it transferred over £3,333,000 to “beneficiary organisations” in Israel.

According to ICJP, these included pre and post-military programmes, armed groups with connections to the Israeli military, and housing and recreational facilities for Israeli soldiers.

Under Section 3 of the Charities Act 2011, charities registered in Britain can raise funds for the “promotion of the efficiency of the armed forces of the Crown,” but the Charity Commission confirmed that no charity can legally provide aid or miliary supplies to foreign armed forces.

Last August, ICJP wrote to the Attorney General, calling on him to use his powers to revoke JNF UK’s charitable status. 

In October, the group called on the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation to investigate potential breaches of British sanctions.

Last year, JNF Canada lost its charitable status after it was revealed that donations had been used to fund Israeli military infrastructure projects.

A legal spokesperson from ICJP said: “We’re looking at 16 years of records here, which shows one thing: if no-one holds them to account, they’re going to keep doing it.

“It’s bad enough that this organisation is allowed to continue operating, but it is absurd that it receives tax exemptions from the British government through its charitable status to do so.”

A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “We have received concerns raised regarding JNF charitable trust and are assessing information to determine if there is a role for the commission.”