Al Jazeera Investigation – Complicit: How the West is Helping Israel Seize the West Bank

A powerful new undercover documentary from Al Jazeera reveals how donors in the UK and Canada help finance the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The investigation uncovers how pro-settler charity groups allow donations to be channelled into activities that violate international law by supporting illegal settlements infrastructure.

The film shows how, as settlement expansion accelerates, settler and military violence has intensified to force Palestinians from their land and homes. In the West Bank, well over 1000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the start of the war in Gaza. More than 230 of them are children. Many of these deaths have come during large-scale assaults launched by the military against densely populated refugee camps.

The International Court of Justice has determined that Israel’s transfer of settlers into the West Bank, and its support for settlement infrastructure, violates international humanitarian law. Despite these findings, and the assurances of Western Governments to abide by these laws, the film documents how Western charities evade laws that ban them from funding foreign militaries and illegal settlements.

COMPLICIT: HOW THE WEST IS HELPING ISRAEL SEIZE THE WEST BANK provides a comprehensive picture of how the Israeli government actively supports the settlers’ campaign to seize Palestinian land. A real estate agent tells Al Jazeera’s undercover reporter: “Between us, I don’t think there’s ever going to be a Palestinian state over here.”

The investigation captures Israeli organisations openly admitting on camera that donations, routed through Western charities, can be used to purchase weapons and security equipment for settlers, as well as supplies for soldiers. These are activities that clearly violate the rules and regulatory requirements in the UK and Canada. Representatives of pro-settler groups also describe in detail strategies used by donors to bypass laws prohibiting charities from funding foreign militaries and illegal settlements.

Al Jazeera’s undercover reporters, posing as donors from the UK, secretly filmed meetings with pro-settler organisations in Israel, expressing interest in making substantial contributions to settlement projects. These organisations explain how donations can be paid as tax-deductible to charities in the UK and Canada, raising serious concerns over accountability and due diligence. These funds are then transferred to pro-settler organisations in Israel.

Under UK and Canadian law, charity trustees are required to carry out extensive due diligence on how donations are spent overseas to ensure they are of public benefit and comply with the law. Al Jazeera’s undercover evidence points to systematic failures in oversight, potential misuse of charitable structures, as the true purpose of donations could be concealed by sending the funds via another Israeli non-profit organisation, avoiding any paper trail.

Watch the full investigation to uncover how, as Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Lutheran Minister describes the situation, “The plan is clear. You don't have to be a genius to figure it out …. They want the land without the people. They want the geography without the demography.”   

COMPLICIT: HOW THE WEST IS HELPING ISRAEL SEIZE THE WEST BANK

Watch on Al Jazeera English at these times:

Monday 27th July            1900gmt           
Tuesday 28th July            0600gmt           
Wednesday 29th July     0900gmt              

And on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otagSl7eYMs