Igor Tulchinsky: Sponsor of British Museum Bayeux Tapestry exhibition funded community centre in West Bank settlement

What Happened

Igor Tulchinsky, a billionaire and sponsor of a British Museum exhibition, funded a 'therapy yurt' at the Mondlak Center in Efrat, an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. During a November 2025 visit, Tulchinsky unveiled the facility alongside Efrat Mayor Dovi Shefler, dedicating the project to 'Israel's brave warriors.' The Mondlak Center is affiliated with the Efrat Development Foundation, which supports settlement expansion in the Givat HaEitam area. This development occurs as the UK government, led by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, has implemented sanctions against individuals and entities involved in financing or facilitating settlement infrastructure, citing the expansionist agenda of such communities as illegal under international law.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The involvement of high-profile international donors in West Bank settlement infrastructure highlights the tension between private philanthropy and shifting Western foreign policy. With the UK government explicitly targeting settlement financiers with sanctions, the intersection of cultural sponsorship and support for territorial expansion in the West Bank has become a point of diplomatic and legal scrutiny.

Watch For

Monitor potential UK government investigations into whether Tulchinsky’s financial support for the Efrat Development Foundation violates the newly announced sanctions regime. Additionally, observe the ongoing expansion of the 'E-2' hilltop development in Givat HaEitam, which critics argue is designed to sever the connection between Bethlehem and the southern West Bank.