The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network’s (IJAN) UK chapter and allied activist groups gathered for a picket outside the Charity Commission building in London on Wednesday to demand that the regulatory body investigate, sanction, or strip the charitable status of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) UK and other Jewish organizations that they accuse of funding initiatives, land acquisition, and development projects in the West Bank.
During speeches delivered outside the government complex and in social media posts promoting the picket, organizers and participants criticized the Charity Commission for what they termed “systemic inaction,” accusing the regulatory body of having “repeatedly refused to investigate or sanction charities supporting illegal displacement and foreign military initiatives.”
Speakers pointed directly to the JNF’s historic role and modern activities, highlighting what banners described as “land ownership metrics and financial remittance directed toward unauthorized development in the West Bank.”
The picket also drew connections to recent local community events that the picket organizers claimed in promotional social media materials and speeches have “facilitated transactions involving disputed territories.”
Specifically, activists targeted a “Great Israeli Real Estate” event previously hosted at Edgware United Synagogue in June. The event is an annual exhibition of real estate properties being sold in Israel, including in the West Bank.
Organizers argued in online statements and demonstration speeches during the picket that venues hosting such property showcases act as “platforms for selling land across historic areas and illegal settlements.”
Throughout the demonstration, speakers accused UK authorities of “enabling displacement and regional conflict” through passive regulatory oversight.
Police secure London protest as activists condemn JNF UK
Police and security maintained a perimeter outside the building as activists chanted slogans including “Stop arming apartheid” and displayed banners condemning what they termed “state-sponsored violence and institutional complicity.”
A spokesperson for JNF UK told the Jerusalem Post in a statement, “JNF UK will not be distracted or deterred by those who seek to stop us from carrying out our important charitable work. Through JNF UK, British Jews will proudly continue, as we have for generations, to support and strengthen communities across Israel, particularly in the North and South, helping them to recover, rebuild and create a more secure future. At this critical time, our work is more important than ever.”
