Nearly 100 UK Lawmakers Urge Foreign Secretary to Block London Event Selling Israeli Settlement Property
Nearly 100 British MPs and peers have signed a letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper calling for the cancellation of an event in London this Sunday that advertises the sale of land in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning that allowing it to proceed could implicate the UK in violations of international law. The event, called the Great Israeli Real Estate Event, is scheduled for this weekend at a London venue whose location has not been publicly disclosed.
Andy McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, published the statement on X on Friday, urging the UK government to prevent the Great Israeli Real Estate Event from taking place. “The govt has an opportunity to uphold obligations under international law and take action against Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine,” McDonald wrote. Global Banking and Finance
The letter sent to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the event as “firmly embedded in Israel’s project of colonial expansion” as it facilitates the sale of land seized from displaced Palestinians. Global Banking and Finance
The letter stated: “While inviting new settlers to purchase stolen Palestinian land, Palestinian refugees who have been displaced by Israel, and their descendants, are denied the ability to exercise their inalienable, legally enshrined right of return.” Global Banking and Finance
London’s mayor has also weighed in publicly on the planned event. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has condemned “any attempt to sell property in the settlements in the West Bank” and expressed “concerns” about the event taking place in the city. Global Banking and Finance
Middle East Eye has learned that the Metropolitan Police has been asked by legal groups to investigate whether the event should be blocked from going ahead under a Serious Crime Prevention Order. Global Banking and Finance
A Middle East Eye investigation has previously documented the event’s links to firms operating in the occupied territories. An MEE investigation previously uncovered evidence of the event’s connections to companies involved in illegal settlements. Emanuel Vatari, CEO of one of the sponsors of the event, the Emanuel Group, posted a list of companies participating on his Facebook page on Tuesday. The list includes Harey Zahav, an Israeli real estate development company whose website advertises property in Negohot, an illegal Israeli settlement in the southern Hebron Hills in the occupied West Bank. Also on the list is The Meshulam Levinstein Group, a collection of engineering, construction and real estate companies that has built residential and commercial projects in illegal settlements in both the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. Global Banking and FinanceGlobal Banking and Finance
The event has drawn opposition across the UK political spectrum. Prominent politicians, including Green Party leader Zack Polanski and Your Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, have told MEE the event, whose location is being kept secret, should be banned. Global Banking and Finance
A previous edition of the event in the United States drew similar coverage. The Intercept reported last month that during the Great Israeli Real Estate Event in New York City, “at least one table” was advertising land sales in Kfar Eldad, Karnei Shomron and other Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. Global Banking and Finance
International human rights organisations have also called for intervention. Amnesty International UK urged the government earlier this week to take “immediate action to prevent the event from proceeding on UK soil.” Global Banking and Finance
Regional and Global Impact
According to a recent Amnesty report, the Israeli government has expanded gun licences and the number of armed settlers in the area, increased funding for illegal settlements, and accelerated the construction of settlements and the legalisation of outposts. The controversy over the London event sits within this broader pattern of settlement expansion, which the international community — including successive UK governments — has formally opposed under international law while continuing to permit commercial activity connected to settlement property within domestic jurisdictions. Global Banking and Finance
For the UK government, the case presents a test of whether stated legal commitments translate into enforcement action against private commercial events. The involvement of the Metropolitan Police, requested by legal groups to assess a Serious Crime Prevention Order, would represent one of the more direct domestic enforcement actions taken in connection with settlement-linked commerce on UK soil. The outcome will be closely watched by advocacy groups in other European countries where similar property sale events have taken place or are planned, given the cross-border replication of the event format already documented in New York.
Background
Outposts are settlements built in contravention of Israeli law, which are increasingly being legalised by the authorities. All Israeli settlements, properties and projects in occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law. The UK government’s stated position, consistent with the broader international consensus reflected in UN Security Council Resolution 2334 of 2016, holds that Israeli settlements in territory occupied since 1967 have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law. The Great Israeli Real Estate Event format has been held in multiple cities, with the New York iteration previously drawing scrutiny from The Intercept over its promotion of settlement properties. Middle East Eye’s earlier investigation into the London event’s company list provided the documentary basis for much of the current controversy, identifying specific firms with direct operational presence in settlements across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Global Banking and Finance
What Happens Next
The event remains scheduled for Sunday at an undisclosed London venue. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has not publicly responded to the letter signed by nearly 100 MPs and peers. The Metropolitan Police has not confirmed whether it will pursue a Serious Crime Prevention Order or any other legal mechanism to prevent the event from proceeding, following the request from legal groups. Mayor Sadiq Khan has not specified what further action, if any, City Hall will take beyond his public statement of concern. Organisers and sponsors of the event, including the Emanuel Group, have not responded publicly to the letter or to Amnesty International’s call for cancellation.
