London Israeli real estate fair organizers apologize after West Bank properties surface

Organizers of the Great Israeli Real Estate Event in London have issued an apology following revelations that properties in the West Bank were featured, despite prior assurances they would not be.

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We would like to re-emphasize that the venue made it clear to us that we were not in any way to promote the sale of Israeli real estate over the Green Line, and all participating vendors agreed to abide by that requirement.

The event had already faced significant pressure. Dozens of British lawmakers and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, had raised concerns. The initial venue withdrew its support, forcing organizers to find a new location.

Despite public rejections of claims that properties beyond Israel's internationally recognized borders would be promoted, a real estate agency owner admitted to obscuring a West Bank city name on a poster and discreetly distributing flyers about properties in contested areas of Jerusalem to interested attendees.

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At the same time, we believe it is outrageous that in this day and age, anyone would seek to deny British Jews the right to purchase property anywhere in the world, whether in Paris, New York, or Israel.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews, which had publicly refuted claims of marketing West Bank real estate, declined to comment on the subsequent revelations. However, the event organizers issued a statement to UK's Jewish News. They apologized for mentions of East Jerusalem settlements in a brochure but defended the right of British Jews to purchase property globally. They also dismissed allegations of selling "stolen Palestinian land," stating that no one at the event promoted properties in "disputed territories" like Givat Zeev or Kfar Eldad.

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These allegations are simply untrue. No one at the event promoted or spoke about properties in the ‘disputed territories’, such as Givat Zeev or Kfar Eldad.