There is clear and increasing evidence of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias within the international community. This prejudice takes many forms including a clear attempt to isolate Israel politically within the United Nations. This prejudice is in many cases born out of a lack of understanding of the issues involved and a lack of awareness of what is really going on in the Middle East.

International diplomacy is of vital importance in establishing the rights of the Jewish people and the preservation of the State of Israel. London is a pivotal centre for international diplomacy and is a strategic centre in relations between the USA, Europe, and the Middle East.

The aim of this paper will be to reveal the many ways in which UK based NGOs have been actively pursuing a hostile anti-Israel agenda in recent years. These organisations have disproportionately singled out Israel for attack, often during times of heightened Middle East conflict, and made repeated allegations of war crimes and apartheid. At the same time, they have systematically ignored Palestinian terror and rejectionism, crucial factors in the continuing impasse. Such an agenda contradicts their claims to impartiality or to holding progressive, enlightened and peaceful values. Among the organisations examined are Amnesty, Christian Aid, War on Want, World Vision, The Amos Trust, Oxfam and Save the Children.

These NGOs have built up a formidable reputation for promoting justice and human rights. They are usually treated with automatic deference and respect, as if they were beacons of moral enlightenment guiding us towards a more civilised world. In many ways, they do valuable work in uncovering abuses of international law and human rights – but not when it comes to Israel and the conflict in the Middle East. On this subject, they have become highly politicised, promoting a view so critical of Israel and so one sided in approach as to betray a complete lack of impartiality. They have become part of the propaganda war against the Jewish state.

All except Save the Children are registered organisations with the Charity Commission. The Commission has issued specific guidance for campaigning and political activity by registered charities. Such campaigning is legitimate provided that it is carried out to help deliver its charitable purposes. Even emotive or controversial material can form part of a campaign, provided this is lawful or justifiable, but charities must ensure that the material used is ‘factually accurate’ with a ‘legitimate evidence base.’[i] The evidence collected here casts doubt on whether all the material collected by charities is factually accurate, though more often, the claims made about Israel are more politically biased or legally dubious, problems that are not covered by the Commission’s guidance. More importantly, charities cannot have a political purpose and political activities can only be undertaken in the context of a wider purpose. The Charity Commission has already investigated War on Want following a complaint that it is an explicitly political organisation, and it may be hoped that other investigations may follow.

[i] ‘Speaking Out: Guidance on campaigning and political activity by charities’ part 1.

An examination of how antisemitic tropes and double standards had come to influence today’s anti-Israel movement.

A Growing Danger

This latest short research document is on the Iranian regime. It outlines the threat that the Iranian government poses to its own population through various policies of domestic repression, its threat to the Middle East, including Israel, and its threat to the West. It also outlines a series of specific policy recommendations.

These books/PDFs are available free to members by emailing lbia@bnaibrithuk.org