British Charity Funds Hebron Yeshiva Dormitory Amid Settlement Controversy

Friends of Yeshivat Shavei Hevron, a UK charity named by Labour MP Melanie Ward among 32 charities that have collectively donated at least £28 million to settlements, transferred almost £200,000 to the Yeshiva Shavei Hevron in Hebron between 2019 and 2024. Donations included £58,200 in 2023 and £21,360 in 2024, Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich approved the dormitory after altering Hebron’s planning authority, adding settlers.

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Hebron hosts the only Israeli settlement built inside a Palestinian city’s historic centre. The settlement is deemed illegal, and the UK recognised a Palestinian state that includes Hebron in 2025. Israeli-controlled streets, walls and gates separate several hundred settlers from the city’s 230,000 Palestinians, and soldiers have turned neighbouring rooftops into military posts, including an Israeli outpost on a neighbouring roof.

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Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Parliament that charity systems are being misused to support illegal settlements and asked the Charity Commission to investigate. The Commission described the matter as “complex and contentious” and highlighted broader legal questions about charitable work in conflict zones. Barclays said it has due-diligence and financial-crime controls for charity clients.

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Issa Amro warned that funding the yeshiva “will mean more violence towards Palestinians, more restrictions, more Israeli military presence.” Hagit Ofran said the dormitory adds to “thousands of Palestinians … losing their shops, their housing and their daily livelihood.” Nadav Weiman argued donors are “funding more violence, funding the next wave that will bring death to Palestinian families and Israeli families.”

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• “We want British charities to fund peace, not to fund obstacles for peace. This is very wrong,” — Issa Amro, Palestinian human-rights defender, Hebron.

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• “The students at this yeshiva are very aggressive.” — Issa Amro.

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• “For this yeshiva to exist, thousands of Palestinians have already lost their shops, their housing and their daily livelihood in the heart of a Palestinian city,” — Hagit Ofran, Peace Now.

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• “charity systems are abused to funnel support to illegal settlements” — Yvette Cooper, UK Foreign Secretary.

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Friends of Yeshivat’s 2023 accounts list £2,000-plus gift aid, yet the charity’s website says it is not registered for gift aid. The Charity Commission passed the MP’s concerns to the Metropolitan Police war-crimes unit, but no investigation has begun. The charity’s deed of trust limits activities to “the state of Israel,” omitting any reference to Palestine, raising compliance questions after the UK recognised a Palestinian state.

The Guardian

The Charity Commission is reviewing the charity’s settlement links, and the Metropolitan Police may reconsider a war-crimes inquiry. Barclays’ due-diligence procedures could be examined, and trustees may face regulatory action if breaches are confirmed. Parliamentary scrutiny suggests possible legislative changes to tighten charitable funding rules for activities in contested territories.

The Guardian