by Jules Gomes, Middle East Forum
Charities Have a History of Funding Palestinian NGOs with Terror Links
Leading Christian nonprofits, known for their anti-Israel advocacy, have applauded Britain’s sanctions against Israel, after lobbying the Labour government for almost two years to punish the Jewish state for its “long-standing violations of international law.”
Hours after Britain’s Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced sanctions against Israel on September 8, 2026, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and Christian Aid released statements welcoming the penalties.
Christian Aid, which identifies itself as “the official relief, development and advocacy agency of 41 sponsoring churches in Britain and Ireland, and part of the church community worldwide,” praised the “ban on importing goods from illegal Israeli settlements as an important step in confronting the forcible displacement of Palestinians from their land.”
“The new policy measures, highlighting the illegality of the occupation and pledging firm action against those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements, mark an encouraging step-change by Andy Burnham’s government,” CAFOD, the “official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales and part of Caritas International,” said in its news release.
While Chief Rabbi Efraim Mirvis condemned the sanctions as a “dark day for British Jews,” prominent Anglican bishops, including Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Gloucester Rachel Treweek, and Bishop of Chelmsford Guli Francis-Dehqani, joined the Islamist-linked Muslim Council of Britain in commending the sanctions.
Speaking in the House of Lords, Cottrell, England’s second-most senior bishop, noted that “further measures” may be needed against Israel. “We’ve called for such principled action over many years,” he said. “We believe these measures are just necessary and frankly overdue.”