Amnesty urges UK to ban illegal Israeli settlement expo

Amnesty International UK has urged the British government to block a controversial real estate event scheduled to take place in London next week, warning that it openly markets homes built on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The "Great Israeli Real Estate Event," set for June 14, is part of a global tour targeting diaspora communities. The exhibition promotes properties inside Israel alongside land and homes located within the West Bank—territory widely recognized as occupied under international law. Amnesty warns that allowing the event to proceed effectively sanctions international investment in land annexation at a time when settlement expansion and state-backed settler violence have rapidly escalated, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

"This isn't a property fair. It's apartheid and annexation with a sales pitch," said Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK's crisis response manager.

Benedict called it "unthinkable" that the UK government would permit an event that encourages settlement expansion on UK soil, noting that Israel's ongoing land confiscations and home demolitions violate international law.

Israeli settlements in the West Bank have faced long-standing condemnation from both the UN Security Council and the International Court of Justice. Amnesty argues these housing networks serve as a central pillar of a broader system of apartheid against Palestinians. Beyond just blocking the upcoming real estate event, the human rights organization is pressuring British ministers to implement a comprehensive ban on all trade, investment, and financial services that facilitate or incentivize the expansion of these settlements.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada