Skip to content or view screen version

JNF & Nick Hurd

anon@indymedia.org (Buenaventura Durruti writes to MP?) | 31.10.2011 22:55

Orwellian "Minister for for Civil Society", Nick Hurd, has defended the JNF Charitible Trust, denying their funding of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.

www.stopthejnf.org

Here is a letter from my MP:

Dear X,

Re: Jewish National Fund

I enclose a letter I have recieved from the Minister in response to the concerns you raised in respect of the JNF.
If I can be of assistance in the future please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,
Chi Onwurah
Labour MP for Newcastle Central

Cabinet Office
Nick Hurd MP
Minister for Civil Society

Our Ref: MP317407

Dear Chi,

Thank you for your letter of 13 September to the Ministerial Correspondence Unit at the home office on behalf of X, about the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and EDM 1677. Your letter has been passed to the Cabinet Office for reply as I am minister with responsibility for the law in relation to charities.

Your constituent asks that you support EDM 1677 calling for the withdrawal of the charitible status of the JNF. Whilst it is, of course, for you to decide whether or not to support this EDM I will set out the government's position on the charitible status of the JNF in the UK.

The Charity Commission (the Commission), the independent non-Ministerial Government department responsible for the registration and regulation of charities in England and Wales, has confirmed that it has no jurisdiction over the organisation known as the JNF but that the JNF Charitable Trust is a registered charity and is also registered with Companies House. The Commission has also confirmed that it is satisfied that the charities funds are being used in an exclusively charitible manner and that the JNF Charitible trusts activities fall within the charity law for England and Wales. It has an income in its last financial year of £19,643,000. Its charitible purposes are; "The relief of poverty, and the furtherance of any other purposes which are charitible according to English law, within the State of Isreal as constituted from time to time. especially such charitible purposes as benefit persons of Jewish religion, race or origin."

The Charity Commission has had several concerns raised with it about the JNF Charitible Trust over the past few years. These have included complaints that the charitys funds were being used in a discriminatory or racist way and that the charity has been involved in non-charitible political activity. Some of the complaints have requested that the charity's charitible status be revoked. The commission has followed-up these concerns, corresponded with and met with the trustees of the charity, and is satisfied that the JNF Charitible Trust's activitise fall within UK law and the charity's objects.

Although JNF Charitible Trust has confirmed that it works with other agencies in Israel, some of whose activities are not charitible, the charity has also advised the Charity Commission that it closely monitors the use of its funds to ensure that its own funds are only used in connection with projects which are wholly charitable under UK law.

NICK HURD


anon@indymedia.org (Buenaventura Durruti writes to MP?)
- Original article on IMC Northern England: http://northern-indymedia.org/articles/2294