A British charity has sent almost £200,000 ($267,000) to a Jewish religious school in an Israeli settlement in Hebron that the UK considers illegal under international law, according to the Charity Commission.
Friends of Yeshivat Shavei Hevron transferred the money to Hebron Yeshiva between 2019 and 2024, including £58,200 in 2023 and £21,360 in 2024. The charity also claimed about £2,000 in Gift Aid in 2023, despite stating on its website that it is not registered for the scheme.
The funding comes as the yeshiva expands. Israeli authorities approved a new dormitory in June after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich transferred planning powers over parts of the occupied West Bank. Parts of the project are already complete, while the Israeli military has established an outpost atop a Palestinian home adjacent to the site.
This expansion will deepen the settlement's footprint in Hebron, where Palestinian neighborhoods are fragmented by checkpoints, barriers and a heavy Israeli military presence.
The charity says it supports education ‘in the state of Israel,’ although Hebron is internationally recognized as occupied Palestinian territory. Friends of Yeshivat Shavei Hevron is among 32 charities identified by Labour MP Melanie Ward as having directed roughly £28 million to Israeli settlements in recent years.
Last month, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said there was evidence that ‘charity systems are abused to funnel support to illegal settlements’ and confirmed the Charity Commission had been asked to investigate.
