As Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza continues, UK Toremet, a British-registered charity “continues to facilitate the supply of materials to the Israeli army”.
The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has submitted a formal complaint to the Charity Commission in the UK to complain about the activities of UK Toremet, a British registered charity that “continues to facilitate the supply of materials to the Israeli army, in apparent contravention of Charity Commission regulations”.
In a statement on Friday, the IHRC said that UK Toremet serves as a UK portal that funnels money to a range of Israel-based organizations that buy supplies for the Israeli army.
It added that a “cursory internet search” has found various Israeli organizations using UK Toremet fundraising for equipment for the Israeli Defence Force during its current invasion of Gaza.
Israel’s Genocidal War on Gaza Continues, Scores of Palestinians Killed, Wounded
These organizations have used UK Toremet to process their donations, said the IHRC.
One People is one of the organizations set up after October 7, 2023, in its own words “to provide IDF soldiers and rapid response teams with the bulletproof vests, helmets and other lifesaving equipment”, the statement said.
The website, the IHRC added, openly lists UK Toremet as a partner organization through which people can donate to One People.
“One People is also listed by Yad L’Olim, a non-profit organization in Israel, as a conduit for funds to Israeli soldiers and their units, supplying soldiers with helmets, vests, armor, tactical glasses, knee pads and tactical gloves,” it said.
‘Serving West Bank Settlers’
The IHRC also mentioned Gush Etzion as another Israeli organization that uses UK Toremet to channel funds from donors in the UK, saying “it exists to serve settlers in the illegal cluster of settlements of the same name in the West Bank.”
The organization states on its website that it provides soldiers from the settlements serving in the Israeli army with “essential provisions such as soap, shampoo, blankets, as well as vital equipment including first aid kits,” explained the IHRC.
KEHgives (Kehillat Eretz Hemdah) is another Israeli organization that services Israeli military forces with funds raised through UK Toremet, which “openly boasts about sending millions of dollars of military equipment to Israeli soldiers in the field since 7 October 2023.”
“There are other examples that can be raised, we have highlighted these few, as even one, we believe, is enough for the Charity Commission to take action,” the rights commission said.
It further said that the supply of military equipment to a state army that “is currently on trial for genocide in the International Court of Justice barely meets the threshold of what is legal, let alone what can be considered a charitable purpose.”
“It is a flagrant abuse of charity status to carry out activities that are not only legally dubious but potentially criminal.”
Failure to Act Firmly
This is the second time that IHRC has made a complaint to the Commission about UK Toremet. The first, in 2015, alleged that funds raised by UK Toremet were being used to buy supplies for the Israeli army.
“The outcome of the Commission’s enquiries confirmed this main finding of our investigation,” the statement said.
“IHRC believes that the Commission’s failure to act firmly and decisively on previous complaints about the organization has led to a situation whereby it continues to exploit its charity status to raise money from the British public for the pursuit of the military objectives of a foreign force.”
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 24,927 Palestinians have been killed, and 62,388 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
