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The Charity Commission is facing accusations of double standards and dragging its feet over its investigation into a UK charity which raises funds for recruitment and welfare programmes for Israeli soldiers and has hosted videos of killed Palestinians on its fundraising pages.
The UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel’s Soldiers (UKAWIS) has been under scrutiny for more than a year, with allegations that its fundraising activities potentially breached UK charity law by aiding a foreign military, as first reported by Byline Times last January.
At the heart of the allegations is a promotional video linked to UKAWIS, which appeared to show thermal-imaging footage of Palestinians being killed during military operations.
Since the complaints, the website of UKAWIS has gone offline amid an ongoing inquiry by the Charity Commission. But the reporting of the presence of the video online by this paper sparked calls for the charity’s activities to be reined in.
However, despite opening a compliance case in early 2024, the Commission has yet to make any findings. This is in marked contrast to its decisive response in a case opened around the same time, concerning a fundraising campaign for an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) soldier by Chabad Lubavitch Centres North East London and Essex Limited.
On January 9, the Charity Commission issued an Official Warning to Chabad Lubavitch Centres after determining that it had violated UK charity law not only because the fundraising campaign was outside the charity’s stated purposes, but also because it was unlawful for any UK charity to provide aid to a foreign armed force or its soldiers.
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The campaign, which raised £2,280, allocated funds for non-lethal military equipment and direct support for the soldier, actions deemed outside the charity’s purposes.
In a statement announcing the official warning given to Chabad Lubavitch Centres, Helen Earner, Director for Regulatory Services at the Charity Commission said: “It is not lawful, or acceptable, for a charity to raise funds to support a soldier of a foreign military. Charities with appropriate purposes can, in law, raise funds to promote the efficiency of the UK armed forces. However, providing aid or military supplies to any foreign armed force is not a charitable purpose, and no charity can legally undertake such activity.”
The regulator’s delay in addressing concerns about UKAWIS contrasts sharply with its swift action against Chabad Lubavitch Centres. In response to questions concerning the lack of outcome to the investigation into UKAWIS, the Charity Commission said that it does not comment on live cases but that “any proven wrongdoing will be dealt with robustly.”
In the meantime, however, UKAWIS continues to send funds to support IDF soldiers through its sister organisation in Israel, the Association for the Welfare of Israel’s Soldiers which is directly administered by the IDF. The UKAWIS annual accounts published late on the 17th January 2025 state that:
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‘[D]uring the year [2023] and after the ongoing conflict and the events of 7th October, a complaint has been raised to the Charity Commission in relation to some of the fundraising content and this is currently being investigated by trustees and with the Charity Commission.
On the advice of our legal representatives, the Trustees decided to suspend the transfer of donations to Israel pending the outcome of the enquiries… Following an interim report from the Charity Commission in July 2024 the transfer of funds to Israel donated to UK AWIS by donors has resumed.’
In the financial year ending March 2024, UKAWIS sent £468,625 to its Israel-based counterpart.
Before it was taken offline following complaints, the UKAWIS website invited visitors to donate for specific items including field hospital equipment, ‘adopting’ an IDF combat regiment, and sponsoring army enlistment festivals to encourage young Israelis to sign up.
Neil Sammonds, the Senior Campaigner on Militarism and Security for the charity War on Want, told Byline Times: “It beggars belief that such a charity could exist in the UK or anywhere given the blatant involvement of so many members of Israel’s armed forces in genocide, apartheid and other war crimes as well as their occupations of Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian territory.”
“Netanyahu and Gallant are wanted by the ICC and more arrest warrants must surely follow.” said Sammonds. “The UK’s regulatory bodies should be more focused on investigating and holding suspected war criminals to account rather than assist in delivering further funds to support them.”
Gearóid Ó Cuinn, director of the UK-based law firm Global Legal Action Network (Glan), also told Byline Times: “Following the International Court of Justice’s recent determinations, charities operating in or supporting Israel’s occupation and atrocities risk being complicit in breaches of international law. The UK Charity Commission must ensure charitable funds don’t enable these blatant injustices—it’s time for accountability, not complicity.”
In addition, Ben Jamal, Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, told Byline Times that “it is inexplicable that for over a year the Charity Commission has led us to believe it is investigating this and other breaches but failing to publish any evidence and failing to come to any conclusions. The Charity Commission must fulfil its duties and uphold its regulatory obligations by telling us when charities are breaching the requirements of charity law. “
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One of the trustees of UKAWIS is Colonel Richard Kemp, a frequent media commentator on security issues. In 2024, it was reported that – despite being introduced as an independent expert during a BBC Newsnight segment, Kemp’s role with UKAWIS – an organisation funded by the Israeli Ministry of Defense – was not disclosed, sparking criticism over transparency and conflicts of interest. A spokesperson for the BBC said at the time: “we should have made his connections with Israel clear in the interview.”
UKAWIS has also faced criticism for its financial practices. 2023’s filed accounts showed the charity holding over £440,000 in unrestricted reserves – more than three times its annual charitable expenditure.
The case has become emblematic of broader concerns about how UK charities operating in the Middle East are regulated.
In a speech in 2023, the Charity Commission’s chair, Orlando Fraser, warned against using charitable platforms for unlawful extremism or hate speech, adding that the regulator would act firmly to protect the sector’s reputation.
As calls grow for the Commission to take decisive action, questions linger about whether the regulator is applying its standards consistently – or whether some organisations are being allowed to operate unchecked.
UKAWIS did not reply to Byline Times’ request for comment.