The Commission found that the trustees had ‘failed to act in the charity’s best interests’ by having no policies in place to oversee content published on the charity’s platforms
July 25, 2025 09:41
The Charity Commission has issued an official warning to the charity UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel’s Soldiers after the organisation posted a video containing ‘distressing content’ on its website and YouTube channel.
The charity, registered in 2000 to support serving and discharged Israeli soldiers through education and leisure facilities, published a video that appeared to show an individual being killed. Although a subsequent Commission review found the footage did not actually depict a killing, it was deemed distressing in nature.
Following an investigation, the regulator concluded that the trustees had breached their legal duties by failing to have policies or procedures in place to oversee content published on their platforms. Instead, the charity had outsourced full control of its website to a former executive director without proper oversight or due diligence.
The compliance case was initially opened following concerns that the charity was fundraising to support the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), which would be unlawful under UK charity law. However, there was no evidence of funds being misapplied outside its stated charitable purposes. It was during this inspection that the regulator became aware of the video.
The Commission found that the trustees had “failed to act in the charity’s best interests or manage its resources responsibly.”
The regulator’s Official Warning requires the pro-Israel charity to now conduct a full review of all existing online content to ensure appropriateness, ensure future content aligns with the charity’s stated objects, familiarise themselves with the Commission’s social media guidance, and create an adequate new social media policy.
Joshua Farbridge, Head of Compliance Visits and Inspections at the Charity Commission, said: “While the Commission accepts that trustees may delegate certain activities, they remain responsible for their charity, and we’d expect a level of oversight that enables them to fulfil their statutory duty to ensure all activities are in line with their charity’s purposes.
“This case demonstrates the importance in having robust social media policies and carrying out sufficient due diligence. Such safeguards could have prevented the sharing of distressing and inappropriate content.”
In response to the Commission’s findings, a spokesperson for the UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel’s Soldiers said: “The case was opened by the Charity Commission as a result of an unfounded third-party complaint that the charity might be fundraising for military support for the IDF.
“The commission found no evidence for that suggestion and duly rejected it.
“The only issue of any concern arising from the commission’s enquiries was a video which had been published on the charity’s website.
“That video had appeared prior to October 2023 and had nothing to do with the events which then ensued.
“It was, however, considered open to an interpretation which the trustees themselves would never have intended nor wanted, and in any event, it was withdrawn immediately it was drawn to their attention.
“Naturally, the trustees regret that the commission found it necessary to give any such decision at all, and they’re confident that it’ll be read within the very limited context in which it was made.”
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