UK's Charity Commission issues regulatory advice to Board of Deputies following ICJP complaint

The UK’s Charity Commission has reminded a British charity funding the Board of Deputies of British Jews that risks arise when a charity ‘is, or perceived to be, closely associated with a company’, following a protest against a London real estate event that promoted properties in illegal Israeli settlements. The regulatory guidance and advice to the trustees of the Board of Deputies Charitable Foundation, which also executes the activities of the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BDBJ), comes in response to a complaint filed by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP). In a statement, ICJP said that the Board of Deputies of British Jews had claimed that a protest demonstration held outside Edgware United Synagogue, which hosted the Great Israeli Real Estate Event, was organised on “bogus grounds”. The ICJP said that the Board made the accusations as it had relied on assurances from the event organisers that properties in the illegal settlements would not be marketed. It characterised the protest as an attempt to “harass and intimidate members of the Jewish community”. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters But the organisers later apologised for including several properties in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in their brochure. Exclusive: Illegal settlements promoted in London at Great Israeli Real Estate Event Read More » “ICJP’s complaint raised concerns about the failure to correct or withdraw the Board’s statements after evidence emerged substantiating the protesters’ concerns,” the statement said. “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 regulator 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,” ICJP said. “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 ICJP provided and may take it into account in any future regulatory engagement with the charity, ICJP said. Shaima Dallali, ICJP’s legal researcher, said: “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,” Dallali said. Charity Commission Criticism In a statement to MEE on 13 August, the Charity Commission criticised trustees of the Edgware United Synagogue in London for hosting the event. The commission said it had decided to review a recent decision to close a compliance case involving the charity. It told MEE that "should any further concerns about the charity arise, we will consider escalating our regulatory engagement". Sadiq Khan says he told Met Police to investigate Great Israeli Real Estate event Read More » It said: "We share concerns about the potential impact, including on public trust and confidence, of registered charities being seen to actively assist in the development or expansion of illegal settlements in Palestine. "We are also clear that charity premises must not be misused. "Our initial compliance case found that despite their own misgivings about the event, and an organisation-wide decision to not permit it in their premises, the charity’s trustees allowed it to go ahead in one of its synagogues and did not put in place sufficient checks and controls to make sure the terms of that booking were kept." Properties in illegal settlements advertised Four days before the event, Middle East Eye investigation uncovered previously unreported details of the event’s connection to illegal Israeli settlements. Emanuel Vatari, CEO of one of the sponsors of the event, the Emanuel Group, posted a list of companies participating on his Facebook page. The list included Harey Zahav, an Israeli real estate development company whose website advertises property in Negohot, an illegal Israeli settlement in the southern Hebron Hills in the occupied West Bank. Also on the list was The Meshulam Levinstein Group, a collection of engineering, construction and real estate companies. It has built residential and commercial projects in illegal settlements in both the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. One was a housing project and a commercial centre it built in the settlement neighbourhood of Homat Shmuel in occupied East Jerusalem. Another participant is the Tivuch Shelly real estate agency, which advertises properties in Ma'ale Adunim - a West Bank settlement. MEE had sent evidence of the event's connections to companies involved in illegal settlements to the Foreign Office. A Foreign Office spokesperson responded: "Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and are a fundamental threat to long-term peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. "On 9 June, we updated our Business Risk Guidance to make it clear and unambiguous: if you are a British citizen or business, you should not conduct any economic and financial activities in illegal Israeli settlements.”