UK synagogues: it is illegal to sell land under occupation
JVL Introduction
On Sunday, a London synagogue hosted “The Great Israeli Real Estate Event” and there were many objections, including concerns raised in Parliament that this included selling property in settlements, all of which are illegal under international law. Assurances were given to MPs that this would be checked out and assurances received from the organisers that only land within the Green Line would be marketed. These assurances were echoed by the Board of Deputies among others.
However, this was false and property was on offer in ‘Judea and Samaria’ (ie the West Bank) as well as occupied East Jerusalem as Sky News reported. Someone went in undercover and was, for example, told that they “had all the booklets and papers for it but couldn’t get them out because the police had said in order for the event to go ahead they couldn’t advertise properties illegal under international law” .
The Morning Star has also covered the protest against this “event” very well: Jews say No to sale of illegal settlements
Of course, the Jewish Establishment and the media will continue to paint those who demonstrated against the event as antisemites for picketing a synagogue. We say do not use a place of worship for illegal activities.
This article was originally published by Declassified on Mon 15 Jun 2026. Read the original here.
Revealed: Illegal West Bank settlements advertised at Israeli event in London
Despite denials from organisers, evidence gathered inside the event shows occupied Palestinian land was being marketed
Properties from seven illegal settlements were advertised at the Great Israeli Real Estate Event on Sunday in London, days after more than 100 MPs and groups urged the UK government to ban it.
Organisers had told journalists last week that all exhibitors at the event “without exception” would only provide information about properties for sale within the Green Line – the internationally recognised border between Israel and Palestine.
But brochures circulated at the event which Jewish Anti-Zionist Action (JAZA) shared with Declassified and others posted online show companies touting properties for sale in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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In one pamphlet, Harry Zahev Developers advertises apartments and private homes in Kfar Eldad and Teneh Omarim, illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank near Palestinian towns and communities.
“Bringing gardens and spaces where nature is your closest neighbour,” the pamphlet reads.
In another brochure, the Jerusalem Real Estate company offers the city’s “most sought-after Anglo neighborhoods” including French Hill and Ramat Eshkol, two settlement neighbourhoods in occupied east Jerusalem.
Neither company responded immediately to requests for comment on Monday. Declassified attempted to reach the event organisers, but could not find any contact details.
Other illegal Israel settlements featured in the promotional materials which JAZA collected include the West Bank settlements of Ma’ale Adumim and Givat Ze’ev, and Givat Hamatos, a settlement currently under construction in East Jerusalem.
“Through these pamphlets and information we collected on the inside, we can prove that this event was selling properties in the occupied West Bank,” said Guy Zilberman, a JAZA activist who gained entry to the exhibition.
Zilberman described his experience at the real estate show. “After passing through security, I was given a free tote bag and a booklet advertising the different real estate companies present at the fair that day,” he said.
At the stall for one developer, he said he was told the company had “properties they were selling in ‘Judea and Samaria’ that he thought would be perfect for me”.
The company representative “had all the booklets and papers for it but couldn’t get them out because the police had said in order for the event to go ahead they couldn’t advertise properties illegal under international law,” Zilberman said.
The man then told him these were “crazy times we live in” and asked for Zilberman’s contact details so he could follow up after the event.
He visited another stall and said he was given a leaflet advertising properties in Ma’ale Adumim, which is an illegal West Bank settlement.
After about an hour inside, Zilberman disrupted the event, calling for “sanctions now” and saying “don’t steal” in Hebrew.
“After disrupting the event, I was pulled out by my neck by security,” Zilberman said.
He noted that the Board of Deputies had said that the event was “an excuse to harass and intimidate members of the Jewish community”.
“I would invite the Board of Deputies to look at the documents here that clearly depict in writing that these properties in illegally occupied territories…have been advertised at this event,” he said.
The Board of Deputies did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
This is not the first time that these events have been held. They are a regular occurrence as this article I wrote in the Guardian in 2010 shows:
https://www.inminds.com/article.php?id=10305
This time in various Jewish press publications, both Gush Etzion and Ma’ale Adumim were mentioned, but removed after the event was noticed and condemned by the government and London Mayor. The BOD falsely stated that all properties marketed were within the Green Line. What was appalling was the treatment of Jewish anti-Zionist protesters, wearing kippahs and singing Hebrew prayers while were being yelled at by the local Zionist protesters as ‘baby killers’ and then being brutally manhandled and punched by police, while an elderly protester from the Jewish Bloc was punched in the face by a Zionist counter protestor, and her banner torn from her hands. The MET police issued a statement condemning the protestors for arriving to intimidate the jewish community instead of saying what the protest was about and that most of the protestors were Jewish. They did also provide protection from Zionists yelling ‘Tommy Robinson!’ while they escorted us as a bunch away when the demo thinned out and along a side road back to Edgware Station, but not stopping the yelling and intimidation along the way by local Zionists. As usual the ones being attacked were portrayed as the perpetrators rather than the victims. The local pro-Israel community did not look in the least bit terrified, instead waving Israeli flags and dancing the hora in the middle of the blocked off street.
So, Labour ban pro-Palestinian speakers from entering Britain but allow the sale of stolen Palestinian land here.
Important information.
Thank you so much for your diligent reporting. I applaud your courage in going to these events and exposing them. We need the Jewish Voices to break the lies of the zionist brigade, especially in the greatest falsehood that this is done in the name of Judaism . I thank God for you and pray you keep going. It is only by quoting your vital actions that we can also face down the fake accusations of being antisemitic for defending the Palestinian right to life and justice. Thank you!