The Central Fund of Israel (CFI) is a New York-registered non-profit and one of the largest identifiable organizations funding Israeli settler organizations.
CFI’s founders sought to push U.S. philanthropy towards funding settlements. Today, CFI is one of the most significant sources of NY-based non-governmental funding to Israeli settlements; its size has more than doubled since 2017, sending almost 50 million dollars annually to Israel and its illegal settlements. Several CFI grantees work to entrench and expand Jewish-only Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and displace Palestinians. These grantees include: Regavim, Ateret Cohanim, Hashomer Yehuda ve Shomron or Hashomer YOSH, Israel Land Fund, and Kela Shlomo (Concert for Israel/Voices of Israel). Below is further information about each:
Regavim is singularly focused on using Israel’s restrictive and discriminatory Israeli planning regime, courts, and other administrative procedures to ethnically cleanse Palestinian communities. Regavim has targeted the Palestinian communities of Susiya, Khan El Ahmar, and Masafer Yatta, engaging in years-long battles to displace them. One of Regavim’s founders is Bezalel Smotrich, a leader in the far right Israeli settler movement and current Minister of Finance. He has stated, “Whoever wants to let Jews live a Jewish life without non-Jews is not a racist." In a recent speech, he commented on a case that Regavim has brought seeking expulsion of Khan Al Ahmar residents: “Khan-Al Ahmar will be evicted not because it is illegal. (But because) it sits in a strategic area… this is the area that will determine if God forbid there will be an Arab territorial continuum.” CFI has been Regavim’s number one donor over the past three years available (2019-21), donating over $1 million (a total of 4,009,375 NIS) over that period. In total, that accounts for 35% of Regavim’s total donations from 2019-21.
Ateret Cohanim describes itself as the “leading urban land reclamation” organization in Jerusalem. Its website boasts that it works to “redeem” property once held by Jews as well as reestablishing Jewish neighborhoods in the heart of the Old City and its surrounding areas. CFI was the top donor for Ateret Cohanim between 2019-20 (the last two years available), donating a total of $1,898,615 over two years.
Israel Land Fund (ILF) According to its website, “The Israel Land Fund strives to ensure that the land is returned to Jews and maintained by Jews.” The ILF has primarily targeted the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem, and is behind legal proceedings to evict several families, including the eviction of the Shamasneh family in 2017. The ILF was founded by Arieh King, current Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem. King has stated his mission is to expand Jewish-only settlements, particularly in Jerusalem, including installing “layers of Jews” across East Jerusalem. In a recent interview with VICE news, King was unambiguous:
VICE interviewer to Arieh King: “Do you want to see a Sheikh Jarrah that is Jewish?”
King: “Of course.”
Interviewer: “Without Arabs?”
King, nodding: “I want to see Jews, yes.”
The organization lists properties on its website for sale as “ideological properties.” Although the organization states that its goal is to “buy land,” it also initiates legal proceedings to ensure the removal of Palestinians from their homes. The New York-based Central Fund of Israel accounted for 99.2% of the ILF’s total budget in 2017, at the height of the ILF’s efforts to expel the Shamasneh family.
Hashomer Yehuda ve Shomron (or Hashomer YOSH) provides armed vigilante personnel, equipment and resources to illegal settlement outposts, settlements that are illegal even under Israeli law. The organization recruits volunteers, often youth from some of the most violent elements of the settlement movement. Founded in 2013 by a group of former IDF Special Forces and far-right settler activists, Hashomer Yosh is the self-proclaimed “Guardians of Judea and Samaria.” They focus on providing resources and equipment to small settlements that are called “agricultural settlements.” Hashomer YOSH promotional materials describe the organization as a force to defend and expand settlements in the West Bank, and laud the efficiency of the agricultural settlement model as a way of seizing control of Palestinian land. Although they claim to be providing protection for these illegal agricultural settlements, Hashomer YOSH volunteers have been filmed harassing and assaulting Palestinian farmers and Palestinian hikers. The leadership of Hashomer YOSH are prominent Israeli settlers.
Kela Shlomo (Concert for Israel/Voices of Israel) is a joint venture with the Israeli government (at various points, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the current Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism). Kela Shlomo has effectively been a financial partnership between CFI and the Israeli government ministries: between 2019-21, they combined to provide 79% of Kela Shlomo’s total revenue (CFI 34%, Ministry of Strategic Affairs 45%). Its leadership is comprised of former Ministry directors, military intelligence, and diplomats. Some of Kela Shlomo’s activities have included research targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement through a subsidiary called Keshet David. Keshet David is staffed with Israeli intelligence and military officials, including Eran Vasker (its CEO), who heads Israel Cyber Shield – which collected intelligence on prominent New Yorker and Palestinian American Linda Sarsour, giving the information to the Israeli-American anti-BDS organization, “Act.IL”. CFI has also directly financed Keshet David, donating 623,773.88 USD to the research organization in 2021.
CFI’s funding also impacts New Yorkers directly. As seen above, Keshet David gathered and disseminated information about New Yorker Linda Sarsour. CFI has also funded Megamot Shalom, a non-profit that is responsible for the Canary Mission blacklist which targets students organizing on college campuses.
CFI grantees mask their activities by using generic and misleading language that appears benign and vague to signify moving land to Jewish-only possession, such as “redeeming the land of Israel” or “land redemption.” For instance, the Israel Land Fund lists properties for sale as “ideological properties”, which is a euphemism for Jewish-only, and strategic for Jewish-only settlement expansion. And Regavim uses language like “enforcing or combatting illegal Arab construction”--a euphemism for its campaigns that utilize the discriminatory Israeli planning regime to get the Israeli military to demolish Palestinian homes, businesses, and infrastructure.