Eurasia Press & News
Undercover investigation reveals charity touted ‘awesome’ illegal settlements and claimed it could benefit from UK tax subsidies
An Israeli organisation has been caught on camera offering to help British citizens move to an illegal settlement in the West Bank.
Declassified can reveal how the group, Shivat Zion, told supporters it could benefit from UK tax subsidies – despite staff bragging about “awesome” settlements.
An undercover investigation saw the group’s “encouragement” officer discussing the support it would give settlers moving to Efrat, in the West Bank.
“You’re next to the Arabs; you’ll hear their mosques,” he was recorded saying. “But apart from this, it’s a great living standard.”
The comments were made during a Zoom call with a Jewish anti-Zionist activist, who asked Declassified to secretly film the conversation.
In February, the UK government promised to take “concrete steps in accordance with international law to counter settlement expansion”.
Foreign minister Hamish Falconer said: “Israel’s illegal settlements and decisions designed to further them are a flagrant violation of international law”.
But Declassified can reveal how Shivat Zion invited supporters to claim UK Gift Aid when making donations.
Despite being registered in Israel, it directed donations to a separate charity called UK Toremet Ltd, based near London.
In an email seen by Declassified, a representative from Shivat Zion claimed that donations “go through” the UK Toremet charity, explaining that this “ensures the donations properly reach Shivat Zion”.
If money were to be received this way, it could mean that support for illegal settlers could potentially benefit from British tax subsidies.
UK Toremet has now claimed it has no “active” relationship with Shivat Zion and hasn’t given any grants to the organisation in the last 12 months.
Declassified can’t verify this claim, but donors to Shivat Zion would have been under the impression that their money would go via UK Toremet in order to benefit from Gift Aid.
Leading human rights lawyer, Daniel Machover, told Declassified he was “deeply disturbed” by the investigation’s findings and said it was “inexcusable” to claim that these donations were eligible for UK Gift Aid.
A landmark advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024 placed countries “under an obligation not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
The court’s advisory opinion is not legally binding, but still carries significant political weight.
But despite its previous rhetoric about illegal settlements, the UK government ignored questions from Declassified and refused to comment on our findings.
Aliyah
In November, the World Zionist Organisation organised an event at a secret location in London. With “inspiring talks” and “practical information”, it was designed to help British Jews emigrate to Israel – a process known as aliyah.
But the event was also attended by several Jewish anti-Zionist activists. They included Emily, a dual US/UK citizen who grew up in a multi-faith family and now considers herself a religious Jew.
Emily told Declassified that the aliyah event made a compelling case for moving to Israel, with a series of financial and emotional incentives.
“It was quite terrifying how appealing it was,” she said. “If I wasn’t so steadfast in my anti-Zionism, how easily one could be persuaded to do this.”
Among the people Emily met at the event was Jonathan Vigné, who works in “Digital Aliyah Encouragement” for the Israeli group Shivat Zion (literally “return to Zion”).
It describes itself as a non-profit that helps people move to Israel, enabling “smooth integration”.
But on its website, the organisation mentions several illegal settlements, including Efrat, half an hour’s drive south of Jerusalem.
With a population now approaching nearly 16,000, Efrat’s residents include the founder and CEO of Shivat Zion himself, Shraga Evers, who emigrated from the Netherlands.
So, Emily arranged a follow-up Zoom call with Vigné – and invited Declassified to secretly film it.
On the call, she expressed interest in moving to Efrat and asked whether Shivat Zion could help her.
“Right, sure,” Vigné responded immediately. “We do support and we inform and we advise … That’s the service we can provide.”
He added: “Efrat is awesome. Efrat is a very high living standard. It’s [a] very nice place … They’re developing big-time.”
Efrat
For Palestinians, the reality of life under occupation sits in stark contrast to the “awesome” living standards in places like Efrat.
In recent years, settlers have been filmed attacking Palestinian workers in the surrounding area, and detaining young children. Other residents have been killed.
Palestinian activist Issa Amro told Declassified that Efrat settlers “get quality life on the expense of the basic rights of the Palestinians”.
“Efrat is a settlement – and to live there, it’s a war crime,” he said. “It’s not ‘awesome’.”
Efrat has grown rapidly, and last year the local council leader, Dovi Shefler, announced construction was underway to expand the settlement further, in a push for Israeli sovereignty in the area.
Already, local reports say that a “huge percentage” of Efrat settlers are “English-speaking immigrants”.
And, in February, the US Embassy in Israel announced it would start providing passport services in Efrat.
But while it flourishes for illegal settlers, human rights groups say that Palestinians are blocked from travelling on the road leading to it – despite it also going to Palestinian-owned land.
Speaking on the Zoom call, Jonathan Vigné made no mention of “Palestinians”, instead referring briefly to “the Arabs”.
“Everyone [in Efrat] lives in fairly comfortable either houses or apartments,” he said. “They’re developing big-time …
“You’re next to the Arabs. You’ll hear their mosques … the call to prayer, and all of it. You’ll hear from all angles. So it’s very – I mean it’s West Bank. But apart from this it’s a great living standard.”
He continued: “Everyone’s nice; everyone tries to help each other. You have restaurants, you have clinics, you have – like I said – banks, supermarkets, everything. And it’s only like a 20 minute drive from central Yerushalayim [Jerusalem], which is pretty great.”
Gift Aid
In January, Shivat Zion launched a fundraising campaign to raise £65,000 by the end of the year to support its aliyah services.
Commenting at the time, CEO Shraga Evers explained: “Over the past two years we have witnessed a remarkable wave of commitment from British Jews who feel that this is their moment to come home. Every day we speak with families who are looking for a better future and a partner to guide them.”
But despite Shivat Zion not being registered in the UK, a report promoting the fundraising campaign said: “Donations from the UK are eligible for Gift Aid.”
The group’s website confirmed: “Donations in pounds (£) qualify for Gift Aid” and British donors were given the option to “make this a Gift Aid donation”.
In order to benefit from the subsidy, money was directed to a registered British charity called UK Toremet Ltd, which has a track record of funding projects linked to illegal settlements.
After we contacted UK Toremet and Shivat Zion, the latter’s website was updated to remove all mention of the British charity.
But an email from Shivat Zion, seen by Declassified, said: “All UK donations (in GBP) go through the UK Toremet Limited Charity, as we are an Israeli charity. This ensures the donations properly reach Shivat Zion.”
However, when questioned about it last month, UK Toremet claimed it “does not currently have an active relationship” with Shivat Zion, adding that no grants had been paid to the Israeli group within the last 12 months.
“UK Toremet Ltd has no knowledge of our name being used without license or permission by this org,” the charity said, “but since receiving your email we have reached out to the organisation and asked them not to do so unless any future application for inclusion on our approved grantee list is approved.”
Declassified cannot verify the claims made by UK Toremet, as only the Charity Commission has the power to find out what has been going on behind the scenes between the two organisations.
But there is no doubt that donors to Shivat Zion would have been under the impression that their money would be channeled via UK Toremet in order to benefit from Gift Aid.
Last year, the Guardian reported that UK Toremet Ltd had previously acted as a conduit for another charity, transferring millions of pounds to an Israeli settlement in the West Bank.
The donations were said to have been approved by the Charity Commission, who claimed it was “legitimate” as it was intended to fund an Israeli school.
But after renewed scrutiny, the regulator was reported to have referred the situation to the police and requested advice from the Attorney General.
‘Unacceptable’
Human rights lawyer Daniel Machover told Declassified: “Fundamental breaches of international law cannot constitute charitable purposes.”
He added: “It’s just unacceptable, really, for these things to go unhindered when it’s clear that they shouldn’t be taking place. I am really deeply disturbed that this is going on.”
Referring to the ICJ’s 2024 advisory opinion, Machover said: “It’s bad enough that things were going on right up until then.
“It’s inexcusable for this to be carrying on since July 2024, when we have positive obligations to stop rendering aid and assistance; to stop things that go on in our jurisdiction that assist the embedding of an illegal occupation and illegal settlements.
“This has just got to be addressed. It’s fairly straightforward, in my view, and it needs to stop.”
A Charity Commission spokeswoman told Declassified that it had undertaken three separate regulatory compliance cases involving UK Toremet Ltd about its work in Palestine since 2016.
“We issued the charity’s trustees with statutory guidance and an action plan, which warned it must comply with the Geneva Conventions Act 1957,” the spokeswoman said.
“The Commission also communicated to the trustees the government’s position that construction of settlements in Palestine is illegal under international law.”
She added: “We will assess any information published to determine whether it gives rise to new concerns about UK Toremet Limited.
In a lengthy statement, UK Toremet said: “There are no current engagements with any regulatory body, on any issue.
“Any assertion or accusation, explicit or implicit, made by you that UK Toremet Ltd is engaged in any activity that is contrary to English charity law, Charity Commission guidelines, or any other activity that is not charitable is untrue and void of any factual or legal base.”
The charity added: “All grants made by UK Toremet are made with the full discretion of UK Toremet’s Trustees, taking into account any wishes expressed by those who originally donated the funds to UK Toremet for the funds to be used for a particular charitable purpose.
“All grants are made in strict adherence to English charity law and regulations, Charity Commission guidance, and UK Toremet’s grantmaking policies and procedures. Any funding granted is strictly limited to those activities of the grantee that fall well within the boundaries of charitable purposes and charitable expenses, especially when working internationally.”
Insults
Responding to our questions, Shivat Zion’s CEO Shraga Evers resorted to a string of highly offensive insults – including calling Emily a “modern-day Kapo”.
‘Kapo’ refers to a Nazi concentration camp prisoners who were given privileges in return for enforcing rules and overseeing fellow prisoners doing forced labour.
Evers said: “We assist new Olim [migrants] regardless of where they choose to settle and provide support that falls under social affairs activities of which new immigrants are part.
“Furthermore, while I do not feel any need to apologize for living as a Jew in Judea — neither to you nor to the aforementioned individual — it further underlines the deceptive manner in which elements of the anti-Semitic lobby, together with a handful of helpful modern-day Kapos, are operating.”
