"War on Want" steps up political campaign against Israel
War on Want (WoW), a highly political British charity noted for its denunciations of Israel, launched a fundraising campaign in June entitled " Together we can knock down Israel’s Apartheid Wall." WoW condemned Israel’s security barrier and declared that the "the Wall is not about Israeli security", ignoring evidence to the contrary.
WoW also stepped up its own disinvestment campaign, claiming that British supermarket chains such as Tescos and Sainsburys are "implicated in Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian people." Wow held a meeting on July 9 at Amnesty International’s headquarters in London, entitled "Profiting from the occupation: A people’s tribunal to expose the corporations behind Israel’s occupation of Palestine." Speakers included Jeff Halper of ICHAD, a politicized NGO which receives funds from the EU, and Mustafa Barghouti, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and board member of MIFTAH. Reverend Stephen Sizer, a prominent member of Sabeel UK and a major divestment campaigner, also spoke.
WoW is being investigated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales following a complaint that this event contravened prohibitions on political campaigning.
Former Pink Floyd lead singer Roger Waters who has promoted WoW’s campaign against Israel’s security barrier, sprayed graffiti on a walled section of the barrier outside Abu Dis near Jerusalem during his visit to Israel.
