The Mayor of London has slammed an event being held in the capital thought to be promoting the sale of land and property in illegal Israeli settlements.
Sir Sadiq Khan said he had been in touch with the Met Police, the Home Office and the Foreign Office about the “Great Israeli Real Estate Event” to be held in an unknown location in London this Sunday.
Responding to a question from Green Party Leader and Assembly Member Zack Polanski, the Mayor said: “Israeli settlements in the West Bank are unjustifiable and illegal under international law.
“I condemn any attempt to sell property in the settlements, be that in London or anywhere else in the world. I share concerns about the Great Israeli Real Estate taking place in our city, which I oppose.
“I have discussed this directly with the Met Police. I’m informed that any allegations of criminality related to the unlawful sale of property at the event would be assessed by the Met with a view to investigation.
“I have always been clear in my condemnation in what is happening in Gaza and the Occupied Territories. If you are a British citizen or business, you should not conduct any economic or financial activities in illegal Israeli settlements.”
Asked by Mr Polanski at Friday’s Mayor’s Question Time session if he had talked to the Home Office about the event, the Mayor said: “My office has been in touch with both the Foreign Office and Home Office. For reasons he will appreciate, I shouldn’t comment any further.”
Mr Polanski told the LDRS: “It is morally incomprehensible and unconscionable that this event is scheduled to take place in our city and I welcome the Mayor’s strong condemnation of Sunday’s event and its breaches of international law.
“The key question now is what comes out of his talks with the Metropolitan Police and the Home Office.
“In practical terms, the Met Police should shut down the event on the grounds that it is unlawful. London risks becoming complicit in settlement expansion if people in our capital are profiting from the theft of Palestinian land.
“The Mayor should call on the Government to cancel this event outright. There is real fear that London is being used as a platform for an event associated with the confiscation of land and the destruction of homes. The cancellation of this event would demonstrate that London will not tolerate complicity in the dispossession and subjugation of the Palestinian people.”
The event has also been criticised by human rights groups, including Amnesty International, who said it was “unthinkable” that the government would allow this event to be held.
Earlier today almost 100 MPs signed a letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper demanding the event be blocked from happening.
Asked about it in the House of Commons earlier this week, Ms Cooper said the government would “warn any businesses against associating themselves with potential breaches of international law and with becoming involved in a process that is undermining peace and security in the region.”
Last week a spokesperson for the Great Israeli Real Estate Event said that they “strongly denied the allegations made today”.
“All exhibitors, without exception, will provide information about properties and projects within the Green Line,” they told the Jewish News.
“We believe that these ridiculous allegations are motivated by anti-Israeli and terrorist supporters, seeking only excuses to attack Jews in general and the State of Israel in particular.”
The Met Police, Home Office and Foreign Office were contacted for comment. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We have been clear that we completely oppose the advertisement of property for sale in illegal settlements. On 9 June, the UK Government updated advice to UK businesses to strongly advise against any economic activity in illegal settlements and warn them of the reputational and potentially legal consequences of any such activities.”
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Kumail Jaffer is a Local Democracy Reporter covering City Hall and London-wide political news, with a focus on housing, transport, policing, regeneration and issues affecting communities across the capital. Before joining the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he worked as a political and foreign correspondent for national newspapers including the Daily Mail.
