The UK’s charity regulator is investigating the UK Lawyers for Israel Charitable Trust following complaints about the organisation’s conduct.

A spokesperson for the Charity Commission confirmed to Middle East Eye that it is investigating the Trust’s relationship with UK Lawyers for Israel, a separate non-profit organisation.

“We can confirm that we already have an active case open into UKLFI Charitable Trust,” the spokesperson told MEE.

“Further concerns have been raised with us about the charity, which we will assess as part of the case to determine what, if any, role there is for us as regulator.”

The spokesperson clarified that the ongoing case centres on the relationship between the UKLFI Charitable Trust,  a registered charity, and UK Lawyers for Israel, which is not a charity and therefore falls outside the commission’s regulatory remit.

The commission did not specify how long the investigation will take or what findings, if any, have been produced so far.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) is a legal advocacy organisation that supports Israel by using legal and regulatory tools to challenge activities and campaigns it views as anti-Israel or unlawful.

UKLFI Charitable Trust is the charitable arm of UKLFI, supporting educational and legal initiatives related to Israel and international law. The charity says it focuses on promoting public understanding of legal issues concerning Israel and combating antisemitism through lawful means.

The commission’s decision to investigate UKLFI Charitable Trust comes amid growing calls to examine the group’s charitable status and assess whether it is fulfilling its charitable objectives.

UKLFI did not respond to Middle East Eye’s request for comment at the time of writing. 

Pro-Palestine groups have accused UKLFI’s advocacy arm of using the law to stifle and silence critics of Israel.

Last week, Led by Donkeys, a British political campaign group, projected a video outside the Charity Commission’s office calling for an investigation into UK Lawyers for Israel Charitable Trust.

The group accused UKLFI of violating charity regulations by engaging in political lobbying and endorsing far-right Israeli politicians, rather than remaining educational or neutral as required by law.

Earlier this year, Cage International submitted a complaint to the Charity Commission against UKLFI and the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) over their support for Israel and its war on Gaza.

The CAA did not respond to MEE’s request for comment at the time of writing.

The complaint followed the publication of a report by Cage titled “Britain’s Apartheid Apologists”, which accused UKLFI and CAA of abusing “regulatory authorities in Britain to attack and harass” pro-Palestinian voices in the UK.

“UKLFI and CAA are Britain’s leading enablers of the livestreamed genocide. They aid regulators like the Charity Commission to stifle free speech and pro-Palestinian activism in the UK,” said Anas Mustapha, Head of Public Advocacy at Cage.

“The Charity Commission must end its charity cover used to provide an advocacy infrastructure in support of genocide.”

In January, the Charity’s Commission said “it is not lawful” for British charities to raise funds or send money to soldiers fighting for the Israeli army. 

This statement comes after the Commission issued a warning against Chabad Lubavitch Centres North East London and Essex Limited after the charity received 180 complaints for raising money for a soldier fighting for the Israeli army in northern Israel.

Since October 2023, the Charity Commission has opened more than 200 regulatory cases related to the war on Gaza.

The commission said the investigations involved charities with different positions on the war.