International Critics Condemn Promotion of Illegal Israeli Settlement Homes at London Event
LONDON — Properties in Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land were actively marketed at a real estate event in London over the weekend, contradicting assurances from organizers who had insisted no such listings would appear. The Great Israeli Real Estate Event drew sharp criticism before it opened — more than 100 British parliamentarians had signed a letter urging its cancellation — and those concerns were confirmed when marketing materials from the event surfaced publicly.
The UK-based group Jewish Anti-Zionist Action, a pro-Palestinian protest group run by Jewish people, said its members attended the event and collected promotional literature from exhibitors. A member of the group told Sky News that, after passing through security, they received a booklet advertising real estate companies present at the fair. Firms including Yigal Realty and Tivuch Shelly were found to be offering properties in settlements considered illegal under international law.
All four locations lie on Palestinian land occupied by Israel since 1967 and are regarded as illegal under international law, including by the United Kingdom government. Before the event, organizers rejected accusations that West Bank properties would feature, calling such claims “ridiculous.” References to the settlement of Gush Etzion, which had appeared in earlier promotional materials, were quietly removed from the event’s website in the days prior.
A letter signed by 101 members of the House of Commons and House of Lords had warned Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper that the event risked contributing to settlement expansion on occupied Palestinian territory. McDonald said the outcome had vindicated those concerns entirely.
The incident renews debate in Britain over the legal and diplomatic implications of facilitating commerce tied to settlements, at a time when pressure on the UK government to take a firmer stance on Israeli settlement activity has been growing across the political spectrum.
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