Hundreds Protest in London Against Sale of Land in Illegal Israeli Settlements

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in London on Sunday to denounce an event promoting the sale of land and property in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The demonstrators assembled outside the venue hosting the "Great Israeli Real Estate Event," chanting slogans and holding signs reading: "Stop Israel's illegal sale of stolen Palestinian land" and "Thou shalt not steal."

Jeanine Hourani, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, told Al Jazeera at the protest: "We are here today to protest as Palestinians living in London, [declaring] that we refuse the sale of our land and our homeland. We know that what is happening today is illegal under international law."

Tensions rose as dozens of police officers were deployed to the scene, where a large group of counter-protesters supporting Israel also gathered, some chanting "Palestine does not exist."

London's Metropolitan Police said they arrested 15 people during the protests on a range of charges, including public order offenses.

The event, organized by the real estate company My Home in Israel, has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights activists and politicians across the UK, who called on the British government to prevent it. Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law. In 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel's occupation is unlawful and must end.

Nearly 100 British lawmakers, including members of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party, signed a letter on Friday urging the government to "uphold obligations under international law" and ensure the event promoting such illegal activities did not go ahead.

Layla Moran, the first British MP of Palestinian heritage and one of the letter's signatories, described the land sale as "unacceptable." She told Al Jazeera: "It is a stain on the British public and the international rule of law that this event has been allowed to take place today. The truth is it should never have gone ahead; the Metropolitan Police should have stopped it, and if the law doesn't allow that, we need to act quickly to end this kind of transaction happening on British soil."

The activist group Jewish Anti-Zionist Action (JAZA) also condemned the event being held at a London synagogue, calling it "a matter of conscience." The group stated: "It is unacceptable for a synagogue to be openly complicit in the colonization of Palestine by lending religious and cultural legitimacy to this event."

The British government did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment on Sunday. However, earlier in the week, a government spokesperson said: "Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and damaging to the prospects of a two-state solution. Expansion in the West Bank is wrong. We will be issuing updated guidance in the coming days, providing greater clarity for UK businesses on how to avoid business ventures supporting these illegal settlements." (Source: The Guardian)