In 2025, 742 Britons migrated to Israel, the highest number since the 1980s. They haven’t been making the move without help.
Charities and other organisations registered in the UK are advertising to them through gap-year programmes, subsidised “birthright” trips and migration assistance.
These programmes offer participants the chance to go to occupied Palestinian territory, train with the Israeli army or live in an illegal settlement, Middle East Eye can reveal.
The most prominent charity linking Britons to Israel is United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA), which handles significant capital, declaring an income of £12.8m ($17m) in 2024. Its stated mission is to “inspire young Jews” to forge a “relationship with Israel” by supporting organisations that run trips and gap year programmes.
UJIA’s origins date back over 100 years to its founding as Keren Hayesod, a global fundraising organisation for the Zionist project and then Israel that continues to exist to this day, maintaining strong ties with the Israeli government.
