Afrasianet - At a time of mounting parliamentary and human rights condemnations, the "Great Israeli Real Estate Exhibition" kicked off in the British capital, London, on Sunday, June 14, 2026, amid a state of official confusion and judicial and security evasion from preventing the event or investigating its organizers, despite legal assurances that it violates international law and incites to consolidate settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The exhibition, which was held amid heavy security at the Edgware United Synagogue in north London, was met with mass field protests led by hundreds of demonstrators, led by the Palestinian Youth Movement and the Jewish Anti-Zionist Movement, who took to the streets and held Jewish prayers in the streets, chanting "Get war crimes out of our synagogue" and "Not in our name" before the police dispersed them.
Palestinian Cry
At the heart of the field crowd outside the exhibition, Palestinian youth representative Jenin Hourani told Al Jazeera Net: "Over the past week, we have mobilized all segments of British society to cancel this criminal event."
Over the past three years, Israel has tried to normalize genocide, but people with conscience around the world have rejected it, she said, adding that "today, they are trying to normalize the sale of our homeland and the launch of auctions on it, which we must all reject strongly and unabated."
"We have been clear in our total opposition to the advertising of properties for sale in illegal settlements," a Foreign Office spokesperson told Al Jazeera.com, explaining that on June 9, the British government updated its guidance to British companies, strongly advising them not to engage in any economic activity in illegal settlements, and warning them of the legal and potential reputational consequences of any such activities.
In an attempt to justify the lack of executive intervention to prevent the exhibition, sources at the British Foreign Office revealed to Al Jazeera Net that the ministry is following the matter closely and welcomes any media comment in this regard.
Mayor of London: Settlements are illegal
For his part, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, in an official statement transmitted by his media office to Al Jazeera Net, condemned the organization of the event in the British capital, stressing his opposition to it and his demand for accountability of the companies involved.
The Mayor of London's statement said Israeli settlements in the West Bank were illegal and illegal under international law, and were closely linked to the ongoing displacement of Palestinians.
"I condemn any attempt to sell property in West Bank settlements, whether it is in London or anywhere else in the world. I share the concerns and objections raised about the city's major Israeli real estate show."
"I have discussed this directly with the Metropolitan Police and have been informed that any allegations of a criminal offence related to the illegal sale of property at this event will be assessed by the police with a view to investigating them," Sadiq Khan added, while welcoming the UK Foreign Office's sanctions and updates against settler violence financing networks.
British MPs: Shameful collusion and deep betrayal
Angry MPs responded from members of the British parliament who signed a joint letter of about 100 MPs calling on Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to intervene immediately to prevent the legal breach. The list included MPs from various parties, including the ruling Labour Party.
In a statement to Al Jazeera Net, MP Afzal Khan, a prominent Labour MP, said: "I strongly condemn this Sunday's secretive Israeli real estate exhibition in London," considering the illegal sale of occupied territories as wrong, illegal and shameful.
He added that Palestinians are under attack from every angle, and that the exhibition represents another form of forced displacement against vulnerable groups.
The lawmaker joined nearly 100 other lawmakers in calling on the foreign minister to cancel the event and ban the sale of occupied territories.
Independent MP Ayub Khan told Al Jazeera Net: "Holding a promotional tour in London to market the sale of properties built on looted Palestinian land represents deep betrayal and gross collusion, and the British government should have stopped this event immediately and imposed severe sanctions on any person or entity involved in facilitating or profiting from it."
Labour MP Richard Burgoyne stressed the government's legal duty to act: "Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, yet an event is being held in London to publicly announce the sale of land in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories. Ministers should intervene immediately to stop this shameful event."
No criminal investigations of the organizers
Contrary to the directives of the Foreign Office and the Mayor of London and the objections of MPs, Al Jazeera Net has reached out to the Metropolitan Police, and a London Police spokesperson confirmed to Al Jazeera Net: "Based on the broader questions raised (by Al Jazeera Net), we are not currently conducting any formal assessment or criminal investigation with the organisers or companies involved in this event in relation to possible breaches of British law."
Regarding its security plan in the vicinity of the synagogue, the spokesman added: "We are aware of the event and the possibility of organizing protests against it. We will deploy our personnel to prevent serious disturbances and to deal with any irregularities, using the full range of powers available to us, including restrictions under the Public Order Act."
A police spokesperson told Al Jazeera Net: "We are aware that Jewish communities are experiencing heightened feelings of fear and anxiety after two and a half years of ongoing protests, arson incidents and recent attacks. "There is a clear distinction between protesting in central London and protesting in the heart of communities where there is the potential to cause serious disruption and greater intimidation, and our security plan will reflect that."
Jews Against Colonialism
Al Jazeera Net showed the Metropolitan Police's official statement to the Jewish Anti-Zionist movement for comment. Activist Talia Woodin responded: "As anti-Zionist Jews who care deeply about both Palestine and Judaism, we believe it is our duty to protest the desecration of our houses of worship by organizations that commit war crimes. We categorically reject that such atrocities are committed in our name and with the complicity of our community institutions."
"The Metropolitan Police claim to be acting to prevent 'disturbance and intimidation' against local communities, however, they do not do anything when these same communities engage in much greater disruption and intimidation through their participation in events such as the Great Israeli Property Show, which is a crime under both British and international law," Woodin said in her dismantling of the British security statement.
"Not only did they remain silent, but the police violently arrested Jewish people while they were participating in this peaceful protest, this police do not protect anyone, and their repressive and disproportionate tactics make us all less safe. We are here to fight the false and dangerous narrative that deliberately confuses Judaism with Zionism, uses the scarecrow of anti-Semitism to suppress peaceful protests, and refuses to provide any religious cover to legitimize the looting of Palestinian land."
In a field development, the "Jewish Anti-Zionist Movement" revealed in exclusive statements to Al Jazeera Net that it was able to bring a number of its Jewish members into the synagogue hall to disrupt the event and monitor what is going on behind its closed doors.
The activists told Al Jazeera Net live testimonies from behind the scenes of the sale, stressing that some Israeli organizers and exhibitors were seen luring attendees and potential buyers by providing them with facilities and means that guarantee them "tax evasion" for specific periods of time in the event of the completion of the purchase and the actual transition to live in Israel (Upper Israel), which puts the exhibition under suspicion of financial corruption and facilitating tax crimes under British law.
Britain played a key role in establishing the state of Israel on usurped Arab land in 1948.
This role dates back to the so-called "Balfour Declaration" in 1917, when British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour sent a letter to Lord Lionel Rothschild, one of the leaders of the Zionist movement at the time.
In this letter, the British government made a pledge to establish a Jewish state in Palestine.
