UK Charity Sanctioned Over 'Distressing' Fundraising Video for Israeli Military
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The Charity Commission has issued an Official Warning to a British charity that raises funds for Israeli soldiers, citing serious governance failings after a fundraising video was found to contain distressing imagery - footage first exposed in a Byline Times investigation.
The regulator said the trustees of the UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers (UK-AWIS) had "breached their legal duties" by allowing a video to be published on its website and YouTube channel that appeared to show a person being killed. While a Commission review concluded the footage did not, in fact, show a killing, it found the content to be highly distressing and inappropriate for a UK-registered charity.
In January 2024, Byline Times first reported on the video, which included thermal imaging and a sequence appearing to show a Palestinian being hit by a munition moments after throwing an object. The video also featured airstrikes and combat footage that seemed to be in a style of material typically released by Israeli military sources.
Charity Commission Still Hasn't Concluded Investigation Into UK Charity One Year After Revelation It Raised Money for Israeli Soldiers Using Video of Killed Palestinians
The investigation was launched after Byline Times revealed the charity had potentially breached UK law
Iain Overton
The Commission - who register and regulate charities in England and Wales - found that the charity's trustees had also been "responsible for misconduct and/or mismanagement over failing to have any policies or procedures in place around the charity's website and social media platforms". The trustees had outsourced control of its website and social media to a former executive, and had failed to review or vet the video before publication.
"All of the trustees have failed to act in the Charity's best interests," the regulator said, "and manage its resources responsibly by exposing the Charity's reputation to unnecessary risk. This is a breach of trust or duty or misconduct and/ or mismanagement in the administration of the Charity."
As part of its enforcement action, the Commission has ordered UK-AWIS to conduct a full review of its digital content, implement a formal social media policy, and ensure its trustees have read and understood relevant regulatory guidance. The case remains open.
The charity's response to the investigation raises further questions of appropriate spending of charitable funds. Its most recent accounts show that it spent over £53,000 on legal and professional fees during the 2023-24 financial year, a sum attributed to the ongoing regulatory investigation to a person believed to be based in Israel. UK-AWIS no longer appears to maintain a public-facing website.
EXCLUSIVE
UK Charity Under Investigation
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The Charity Commission has issued an Official Warning to a British charity that raises funds for Israeli soldiers, citing serious governance failings after a fundraising video was found to contain distressing imagery - footage first exposed in a Byline Times investigation.
The regulator said the trustees of the UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers (UK-AWIS) had "breached their legal duties" by allowing a video to be published on its website and YouTube channel that appeared to show a person being killed. While a Commission review concluded the footage did not, in fact, show a killing, it found the content to be highly distressing and inappropriate for a UK-registered charity.
In January 2024, Byline Times first reported on the video, which included thermal imaging and a sequence appearing to show a Palestinian being hit by a munition moments after throwing an object. The video also featured airstrikes and combat footage that seemed to be in a style of material typically released by Israeli military sources.
Charity Commission Still Hasn't Concluded Investigation Into UK Charity One Year After Revelation It Raised Money for Israeli Soldiers Using Video of Killed Palestinians
The investigation was launched after Byline Times revealed the charity had potentially breached UK law
Iain Overton
The Commission - who register and regulate charities in England and Wales - found that the charity's trustees had also been "responsible for misconduct and/or mismanagement over failing to have any policies or procedures in place around the charity's website and social media platforms". The trustees had outsourced control of its website and social media to a former executive, and had failed to review or vet the video before publication.
"All of the trustees have failed to act in the Charity's best interests," the regulator said, "and manage its resources responsibly by exposing the Charity's reputation to unnecessary risk. This is a breach of trust or duty or misconduct and/ or mismanagement in the administration of the Charity."
As part of its enforcement action, the Commission has ordered UK-AWIS to conduct a full review of its digital content, implement a formal social media policy, and ensure its trustees have read and understood relevant regulatory guidance. The case remains open.
The charity's response to the investigation raises further questions of appropriate spending of charitable funds. Its most recent accounts show that it spent over £53,000 on legal and professional fees during the 2023-24 financial year, a sum attributed to the ongoing regulatory investigation to a person believed to be based in Israel. UK-AWIS no longer appears to maintain a public-facing website.
EXCLUSIVE
UK Charity Under Investigation
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