The UK Government, which funds a Commonwealth network of Women Mediators, is alerting them to potential breaches of their funding agreement. The potential breaches relate to anti-Israel posts on social media by a senior mediator in the group which UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has drawn to the UK Government’s attention.

Sanam Naraghi Anderlini is a member of the Steering Group of the Women Mediators across the Commonwealth network, funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

UKLFI wrote to Sir Philip Barton, permanent secretary of the FCDO, with details of Ms Anderlini’s offensive social media posts. He has confirmed that the FCDO will raise the concerns with the relevant partners.

He told UKLFI: “The FCDO has a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Semitism. The UK Government remains resolute in its support of Israel after the worst terrorist attack in its history.”

Regarding the organisation Women Mediators Across the Commonwealth (WMC), a network of mediators that receives funding from the FCDO, Sir Philip said:

“The FCDO’s funding agreements set out our expectations of implementing partners, to which they are responsible for adhering. Given the nature and seriousness of your complaint, we will raise this matter with the relevant partners. We expect all organisations in receipt of FCDO funding to act in line with the expectations set out in our funding agreements.”

Ms Anderlini is also the Peace & Mediation Advisor to the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding.  Despite her role in the various peace and mediation organisations, she appeared to express support for the brutal attacks carried out by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad on 7 October 2023,  to deny their culpability for the massacre at the Nova Music Festival, and to spread hateful disinformation about Israel and Israelis .

UKLFI has also written to the UN to explain why Ms Anderlini is in clear breach of the UN’s guidelines relating to the impartiality, objectivity and independence of its consultants.

These are a few examples of her offensive social media messages:

1. She reposted a tweet on 19 November 2023, which erased Hamas’ culpability of its massacre at Nova Music Festival. She claimed that Israel “killed its own” at the festival.
2. On 29 November 2023 she reposted a message spreading disinformation, alleging that Israel deliberately targets Palestinian children, an inflammatory accusation that has not been supported by any evidence.
3. On 9 February 2024 she reposted a message spreading disinformation that a South African minister had received death threats from Israeli agents, an inflammatory accusation that has not been supported by any evidence.
4. On 14 February 2024 she posted a message spreading disinformation alleging that the IDF are shooting the feet of teenage Palestinian footballers, an inflammatory accusation that has not been supported by any evidence.
5. On 28 February 2024 she posted an antisemitic remark labelling Israeli citizens as a “sick society”. The post also spread disinformation that Israeli citizens were collectively seeking to “block all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza”.
6. On 1 March 2024 she reposted a Tweet casting doubt that women were sexually assaulted and raped on 7 October 2023, despite a UN Fact-Finding Mission finding convincing evidence of the sexual violence committed by Hamas and PIJ on the date.
7. On 13 March 2024 she posted an allegation that Israel’s empowerment of Hamas to prevent a two-state solution led to the 7 October 2023 terrorist attacks, thus seeking to justify the commission of the terrorist acts.
8. On 2 April 2024 her post alleged that Israel is decimating every civilian and civilian infrastructure in Gaza in the “purported pursuit of Hamas”, thus spreading disinformation and inciting hatred and violence against Israel and Israelis
9. On 2 April 2024 she reposted a Tweet alleging that Israel has mass murdered innocent civilians, including doctors and patients and carried out wilful vandalism of medical equipment and supplies. These allegations are baseless and serve to spread disinformation and incite to hatred and/or violence against Israel and Israelis

According to the UN Secretariat Guidelines for the Personal Use of Social Media, “staff must ensure that the expression of their personal views and convictions on social media does not … reflect poorly on their status as international civil servants or call into question their duty of loyalty, impartiality and responsibility to the Organization”.

Caroline Turner, director of UK Lawyers for Israel commented: “Given the overwhelming number of offensive Tweets and incendiary accusations Ms Anderlini has posted or reposted that are directed at Israel or Israeli society, it is clear that she can no longer be seen as impartial in her various roles where impartiality is crucial. We hope that her conduct will be investigated.”

Ms Anderlini’s social media posts were first exposed by Gnasher Jew.