In June 2016, War on Want (WoW) announced that Executive Director John Hilary would be stepping down. Under Hilary’s leadership, WoW has played a leading role and mobilizer of anti-Israel BDS (boycotts, divestments, and sanctions) campaigns.

According to an article in today’s Sunday Times (“War on Want chief quits amid claims of anti-Semitism,” Andrew Gilligan, September 11, 2016), Hilary’s departure comes as the UK Charity Commission considers complaints about “campaigning and political activities” by WoW, and is preparing an “operational case report” on the charity. This procedure is carried out only when there is “significant public interest in the issues involved.”

As NGO Monitor has reported in detail, WoW has a long history of anti-Israel activities, including advancing false comparisons to apartheid South Africa and supporting a so-called Palestinian “right of return,” which would effectually mean the end of Israel as a Jewish state. WoW also regularly utilizes demonizing rhetoric, accusing Israel of “war crimes,” “collective punishment,” “ethnic cleansing.”

War on Want’s 2015 donors include the European Commission and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). In April 2016, it was revealed that DFID stopped funding the organization. According to its website, additional donors include Irish Aid, Interpal, Lip-Miliband Trust, and others. Interal is a designated terrorist organization by the United States.

Its partners “to coordinate international pressure” against Israel include Civic Coalition for Jerusalem, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine, Stop the Wall, and Al-Zytouna.

For more information see NGO Monitor’s profile of War on Want.