Breaking: UK Lawyers for Israel under investigation after CAGE report

The UK Charity Commission confirmed last week that it is investigating the charitable wing of pro-Israel lobby group UK Lawyers for Israel’s (UKLFI), following a complaint and detailed report submitted last month by human rights advocacy group CAGE International to the Charity Commission against UKLFI and Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA). 

The complaint raised concerns about what CAGE says is a lack of compliance with the Charity Commission’s code of conduct by what it describes as “two of the most vicious culprits of the weaponisation of antisemitism in the context of pro-Palestinian
advocacy”. UK charity law prohibits incitement to hatred on the grounds of race or religion and the promotion of views that denigrate those of a particular faith or race.

However, CAGE says that evidence presented in its report, Britain’s Apartheid Apologists, details how these two groups have tried to legitimise Israel’s racist, apartheid and genocidal policies and demonstrates how the organisations weaponised regulatory frameworks and vexatious lawfare to stifle free speech and pro-Palestinian activism in the UK, in effect eroding fundamental democratic principles. 

The complaint alleges that:

• the UKLFI and CAA have advocated for Israel in ways that legitimise Israel’s policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories which the 2024 International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion concluded constitute racial segregation and apartheid
• both organisations have undermined their charitable purposes as set out in UK law, which prohibits support for policies that violate fundamental human rights, and have misused their platforms to shield Israel from accountability
• the two organisations have engaged in frivolous and malicious complaints to regulatory bodies, universities and employers to suppress pro-Palestinian voices, causing significant professional and personal harm without justification

The complaint also urges the Charity Commission to assess the transparency of the groups’ funding, “given their close ties to the Israeli government and other pro-Israel lobby groups”.

CAGE International’s Head of Public Advocacy, Anas Mustapha, said: 

UKLFI and CAA are Britain’s leading enablers of the livestreamed genocide. They aid regulators like the Charity Commission to stifle free speech and pro-Palestinian activism in the UK.

The Charity Commission must end its charity cover used to provide an advocacy infrastructure in support of genocide.

UKLFI has achieved notoriety on a number of occasions, for example pressuring a London hospital to remove paintings by Palestinian children, its attempt to pressurise groups to withdraw BDS motions, its (unsuccessful) ‘political’ complaint to the General Medical Council attempting to have Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu Sitta banned from practising and the recent comment by its chief executive that Israel’s blockade preventing food from entering Gaza is improving Palestinians’ health by combating obesity.

Its spokesperson, barrister Natasha Hausdorff, featured recently on Piers Morgan’s talk show:

The organisation was contacted for comment. A spokesperson responded that:

We are not aware of any investigation by the Charity Commission following an alleged report by CAGE to them. 

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