An Israeli property roadshow is still advertising homes in illegal West Bank settlements to prospective buyers in the UK – even after London mayor Sadiq Khan raised the matter with the Metropolitan police, the Home Office and the Foreign Office.
Organisers of the ‘Great Israeli Real Estate Event’ apologised last month after it was revealed that brochures handed out at the event in London promoted properties on illegal settlements.
The event’s organisers claimed West Bank settlements had been included “by mistake”. But organisers have since contacted mailing list subscribers with an email promoting the sale of more West Bank homes on behalf of Israeli real estate company Harey Zahav.
The 2 July email, seen by Novara Media, offers “affordable private houses in Anglo communities”. It advertises “20+ projects in prime locations, close to the centre of the country and to Jerusalem”. It says all projects are located in “Judea and Samaria”, the name the Israeli government gives to the West Bank.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are built in occupied Palestinian territory and considered illegal under international law.
The event organisers held a property fair in London last month that was widely condemned by MPs and rights advocates, and met with protests.
A member of activist group Jewish Anti-Zionist Action, who wished to remain anonymous due to risk of reprisals, told Novara Media: “Receiving an email using the words ‘Judea and Samaria’ just solidified what I already knew about the insidious, criminal, racist intentions and beliefs of those who organised the event and those that work for Harey Zahav and the other real estate groups.
“It’s a blatant denial of Palestinian rights through the assertion that the West Bank belongs to the Jewish people. It’s really horrible to see the facilitation of ethnic cleansing through an email attachment.”
Harey Zahav’s website includes a blog post about how the company “celebrated an exciting milestone” at the launch of new settlement Kfar Eldad in the occupied West Bank last month.
Kfar Eldad is one of the illegal settlements promoted at the Great Israeli Real Estate Event on Sunday 14 June.
Properties for sale in Ma’Ale Adumim, Givat Zeev and Teneh Omarin in the West Bank and Ramat Eshkol, Givat HaMatos and French Hill in East Jerusalem were also advertised via marketing materials at the event, Sky News revealed. All of the settlements are considered illegal under international law.
This was despite organisers strongly denying the event would feature land for sale in the West Bank, calling such allegations “ridiculous” and telling journalists prior to the event that all exhibitors “without exception” would only provide information about properties for sale within the green line – the internationally recognised border between Israel and Palestine.
In response to a request for comment about the recent marketing email, mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s spokesperson told Novara Media: “The mayor is clear that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are unjustifiable and illegal under international law and that no businesses should be engaging in their trade or marketing in London or anywhere in the UK.
“Individual investigations are a matter for the Met and any allegations of criminality will be assessed by the police in line with usual processes.”
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians has submitted formal complaints to both the UK’s Charity Commission and the Met over the event’s links to illegal Israeli settlements.
Novara Media attempted to make contact with the Great Israeli Real Estate Event via its mailing list email address, 2026 event website and WhatsApp channel. Novara Media also contacted the event’s sponsor Home In Israel, and promoter IMP International. Harey Zahav declined to comment.
The Metropolitan police has been approached for comment.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and more than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the territory (not including occupied East Jerusalem). The International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion states that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and West Bank settlements are illegal and must cease.
Settler violence in the occupied West Bank has exploded since October 2023, where more than 1,000 Palestinians – nearly a quarter of them children – have been killed.
Settlers have invaded Palestinian communities, fired live ammunition, burned homes and cars and attacked families – largely with impunity – according to Human Rights Watch.
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