Amnesty International UK on Monday called on the British government to prevent a real estate event due to be held in London next week from going ahead, saying it promotes the sale of land and homes in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The organization criticized the "Great Israeli Real Estate Event," scheduled for June 14, describing it as part of a series of international roadshows targeting diaspora communities and marketing settlement properties alongside homes in Israeli cities.
Amnesty said the event reflects a broader pattern of international activities promoting investment in settlements at a time when the Israeli government has accelerated settlement construction and land annexation across the occupied West Bank.
"Given the significant escalation in speed and scale of annexation measures under Israel's current government and the rise in state-backed settler violence, it is unthinkable that the UK government could allow an event to be held in the UK that openly promotes activities encouraging settlement expansion," Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK's crisis response manager, said in a statement.
He added: “Israel's unlawful land confiscation, home demolitions, alongside the rapid growth of illegal settlements and outposts on Palestinians' ancestral lands are devastating Palestinian lives and their protected rights under international law.”
Benedict urged ministers to take action against the organizers and stop the event from taking place.
"The UK government must ensure they halt all trade, cooperation and investment relations enabling unlawful occupation and apartheid. It can start by taking strong action against the organisers of this event and ensuring it is not allowed to promote illegal activities on UK soil," he said.
“This isn't a property fair. It's apartheid and annexation with a sales pitch.”
Amnesty International UK also called on the government to take immediate steps to prevent the event from proceeding and to implement “a comprehensive ban on all trade, investment and financial services that facilitate or incentivize the settlement enterprise and its expansion.”
The organization said Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law and noted that they have been condemned by the UN Security Council and the International Court of Justice.
Amnesty argued that the settlements are a central pillar of what it has documented as a system of apartheid against Palestinians.
The occupied West Bank has seen increased Israeli military raids, arrests and settlement expansion since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023.