International Community of the Holy Sepulchre
CIO formed in 2020 to support Christian communities in Israel, Palestine and Jordan, chaired by Tim Livesey of Embrace the Middle East, which launched a report on Christianity in the Holy Land in 2021 and was dissolved on its own application in 2024
| International Community of the Holy Sepulchre
| |
|---|---|
| Logo |  The façade above the main entrance of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, after which the charity was named (2014) |
| Type | CIO (removed) |
| Founded | 2020-01-29 (registered) |
| Dissolved | 2024-07-29 (removed from the register: Removed by application) |
| Registration ID | Registered charity 1187650 |
| Headquarters | Not recorded on the register (removed) |
| Area served | Throughout England, Israel, Jordan, Occupied Palestinian Territories |
International Community of the Holy Sepulchre (ICoHS) was a charitable incorporated organisation registered on 29 January 2020 and removed on 29 July 2024 "by application".[1] Its objects were "to advance the Christian faith in the Holy Land (Israel, Palestine and Jordan)", in particular through financial and practical support for local communities, advocacy, "promoting Christian heritage, restoring sacred sites" and initiatives for "mutual flourishing among people of all faiths and backgrounds"; its register areas were England, Israel, Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.[2][1] The archived register entry for January 2021 lists three trustees, all from 13 November 2019: Tim Livesey (chair), the Right Revd Jonathan Goodall (also a trustee of the Nikaean Ecumenical Trust) and Nader Elias Moghrabi.[3] Its income was £318,297 in 2020, £249,540 in 2021, £207,037 in 2022 and £53,169 in 2023.[2] In October 2021 it launched a report, Defeating Minority Exclusion and Unlocking Potential: Christianity in the Holy Land, produced with the University of Birmingham; the launch at Westminster Abbey was introduced by Brendan O'Hara MP and by "Tim Livesey, the Chair of ICoHS and Embrace the Middle East", and included speeches from church leaders in Jerusalem.[4] In April 2024 the register carried a "Notice of dissolution on application of the CIO" dated 24 April 2024.[5]
Objects and activities
The charity's registered objects read: "THE OBJECTS OF THE CIO ARE TO ADVANCE THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IN THE HOLY LAND (ISRAEL, PALESTINE AND JORDAN), IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY, THROUGH THE PROVISION OF FINANCIAL AND PRACTICAL SUPPORT FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND WORKING TO SECURE A THRIVING, ONGOING CHRISTIAN PRESENCE IN THE REGION BY RAISING AWARENESS OF THE ISSUES FACED BY THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY, FACILITATING PUBLIC ADVOCACY ON ITS BEHALF, PROVIDING PRACTICAL CARE, PROMOTING CHRISTIAN HERITAGE, RESTORING SACRED SITES AND SUPPORTING INITIATIVES THAT ENABLE MUTUAL FLOURISHING AMONG PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS AND BACKGROUNDS."[2]
The register describes its activities as: "To advance the Christian Faith in the Holy Land (Israel, Palestine and Jordan) through the provision of financial and practical support and working to secure an ongoing Christian presence in the region by raising awareness of the issues faced by the Christian community, facilitating public advocacy on its behalf, providing practical care, promoting Christian heritage, and restoring sacred sites."[2]
Register classifications: Education/training, Religious Activities, Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity.[2]
Areas of operation recorded on the register: Throughout England, Israel, Jordan, Occupied Palestinian Territories.[2]
Trustees
The register extract holds no trustee records for removed charities.
Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)
| Capture date | Trustees listed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-08 | Tim Livesey (chair) (from 13 November 2019); The Right Revd Jonathan Goodall (from 13 November 2019) – also trustee of The Nikaean Ecumenical Trust; Nader Elias Moghrabi (from 13 November 2019) | [6] |
The register holds no trustee records for this removed charity; the trustees above are from archived register pages. The APPG notice describes Tim Livesey as chair of Embrace the Middle East; Embrace the Middle East later announced that Jamie Eyre would "succeed Tim Livesey as CEO in July".[4][7]
Finances
| Financial year end | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-12-31 | £318,297 | £285,728 |
| 2021-12-31 | £249,540 | £280,154 |
| 2022-12-31 | £207,037 | £215,152 |
| 2023-12-31 | £53,169 | £47,009 |
Source: register annual-return history.[2]
Funding in Israel
- No accounts are available, so spending in Israel or elsewhere cannot be identified; the register objects cover Israel, Palestine and Jordan.[8][2]
Israeli partners
Not established; the only activity found is the 2021 report produced with the University of Birmingham.[4]
Activity beyond the Green Line and support for the IDF
Findings are graded by confidence. "Partner" findings concern the Israeli recipient organisation, not proven use of UK funds.
| Finding | Confidence |
|---|---|
| The register lists the Occupied Palestinian Territories among the charity's areas of operation, but no source read names a project, partner or place.[1] | Not established |
Support for the IDF: No IDF or military funding is stated in the register entries or the APPG report notice.[1][4]
Controversies and regulatory action
- No Charity Commission inquiry naming this charity was found; it is not named in the 2025–2026 cheque-cashing class-inquiry announcements or statement of results, and the charities in the August 2026 settlements class inquiry have not been named.[9][10][11][12][13] The register shows it as removed, giving the reason "Removed by application".[1]
- Accounts not available. No accounts are available on the live register for this removed CIO, so its grants and partners could not be checked.[8]
Other registers and records
Scotland and Northern Ireland
No entry was found on the Scottish Charity Register for this charity (register export dated 14 October 2026, searched by name).[14] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[15]
The Gazette
Searches of The Gazette notice feeds (all notices, insolvency and company) for the charity's name found no insolvency, winding-up or strike-off notice.[16]
Grants recorded by 360Giving
No grants received or made by this charity are recorded in 360Giving data.[17]
Sanctions screening
The charity's name, its current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees and officers named in the accounts read for this profile and (for charitable companies) its Companies House officers were screened against the UK Sanctions List and the OFSI Consolidated List. No match was found.[18]
Land and property
The register records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.[2] No title registers were purchased; the HM Land Registry interactive search blocked automated access.[19]
Parliament
Hansard exact-phrase searches for "International Community of the Holy Sepulchre" returned 0 contributions in total.[20]
Web archive
The UK Government Web Archive holds 2 archived Charity Commission register pages used in this profile (cited in the sections above). The 2021 archived full print showed the status "Recently registered" and "Other regulators: No information available".[6]
External links
- No current official website.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Charity Commission, International Community of the Holy Sepulchre (1187650): full print Register of Charities, retrieved 16 October 2026 ("29 January 2020: CIO registration 29 July 2024: Removed (Removed by application)").
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities public extract (tables charity, charity_trustee, charity_annual_return_history, charity_area_of_operation, charity_classification, charity_other_names), extract dated 14 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, International Community of the Holy Sepulchre (1187650): full print UK Government Web Archive, capture of 08/01/2021.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 APPG on Christianity in the Holy Land, Launch of Report on Christianity in the Holy Land appgchristianityintheholyland.org.uk, 3 February 2022, viewed 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, International Community of the Holy Sepulchre (1187650): charity overview UK Government Web Archive, capture of 07/07/2024.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Register entry 1187650, full print (capture of 20210108) UK Government Web Archive.
- ↑ Embrace the Middle East, New CEO for Embrace embraceme.org, viewed 16 October 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Charity Commission, International Community of the Holy Sepulchre (1187650): accounts and annual returns Register of Charities, viewed 16 October 2026 (removed charity; no accounts are available on the live register).
- ↑ Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator concludes investigation into 4 charities as class inquiry continues GOV.UK, 9 September 2026, with Statement of the results of a class inquiry (same date).
- ↑ Charity Commission, Charity regulator opens inquiry into charities working in illegal Israeli settlements GOV.UK, 5 August 2026 (a fact-finding statutory class inquiry initially involving 8 charities which "are not being publicly named at this time").
- ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, export dated 14 October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-22 charity names found no matching Scottish registration.
- ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 16 October 2026 (keyword searches for each of the 25 batch-22 charity names returned zero results).
- ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'International Community of the Holy Sepulchre' The Gazette, searched 16 October 2026.
- ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1187650 360Giving, queried 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv). Batch-22 screening covered 196 name strings: the 25 charity names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees, officers and staff named in the accounts and websites read for this batch, and the Companies House officers of the charitable companies; the only hits were generic words in charity names (such as "Charitable Foundation", "Trust", "Fund" and "Association") matching listed entities, which were rejected; no person matched. Screened 16 October 2026.
- ↑ HM Land Registry, Search for land and property information GOV.UK – the service returned HTTP 403 (bot protection) to automated access in October 2026; no titles were looked up or purchased. Candidate title numbers below come from the free CCOD / OCOD datasets (October 2026 release), not from paid title registers.
- ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "International Community of the Holy Sepulchre" Hansard, queried 16 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).