A roving real-estate expo for land sales in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories is set to hold an event at a New York synagogue on Tuesday, drawing a rebuke from Mayor Zohran Mamdani over the potential for land sales that violate international law<\/p>\n
The Great Israeli Real Estate Event \u2014 a showcase that advertises its services in helping people in the United States, Canada, and the U.K. purchase land in Israel and the West Bank \u2014 will host an event at Park East Synagogue in Manhattan\u2019s Upper East Side on Tuesday. The expo helps potential buyers navigate taxes, education concerns, and other issues that arise during relocation to Israel.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the event, Mamdani spoke out against the possibility of potentially illegal land sales being facilitated within the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cMayor Mamdani is deeply opposed to the real estate expo this evening that includes the promotion of the sale of land in settlements.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMayor Mamdani is deeply opposed to the real estate expo this evening that includes the promotion of the sale of land in settlements in the Occupied West Bank,\u201d said Sam Raskin, a spokesperson for Mamdani, in a statement to The Intercept. \u201cThese settlements are illegal under international law and deeply tied to the ongoing displacement of Palestinians.\u201d<\/p>\n
The website for the expo includes a reference to Gush Etzion<\/a>, a cluster of some 20 settlements in the West Bank, southeast of Jerusalem, that are considered illegal under international law. Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, said the inclusion of Gush Etzion was a telling reminder of the claim made on all of the Occupied Territories by the pro-settlement movement.<\/p>\n \u201cGush Etzion is the Israeli term for an area of the West Bank located south of Jerusalem on which, under international law, all Israeli construction, all Israeli communities are considered illegal under international law,\u201d Friedman said. \u201cThe pro-settlement movement around the world, and most Israelis, do not make any distinction between Israel and the West Bank. The idea is that all of this is Eretz Yisrael\u201d \u2014 Hebrew for \u201cthe land of Israel\u201d \u2014 \u201cand it belongs to the Jews because God gave it to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Past Discrimination Allegations<\/p>\n The expo is being sponsored by a group called Home in Israel, but it isn\u2019t the only organization putting on events of this sort. In recent years, real estate fairs put on by similar groups have popped up in New York and other North American cities, including Baltimore, Montreal, and others, including at synagogues.<\/p>\n Israeli settlements in the West Bank are widely considered to be open only to Jewish residents. At one real estate event in suburban New Jersey in 2024, protesters said they were explicitly asked about their religious affiliations<\/a> when they tried to register for the fair, potentially implicating anti-discrimination laws. The New Jersey Civil Rights Division reportedly questioned realtors about their practices. (The New Jersey Civil Rights Division not immediately respond to requests for comment.)<\/p>\n Pal-Awda, a pro-Palestine group, announced plans<\/a> on social media for a protest on Tuesday outside the Park East Synagogue.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will not be silent as ethnic cleansing is being actively promoted in our neighborhoods,\u201d the group wrote.<\/p>\n Self-proclaimed supporters of the synagogue have circulated a flyer <\/a>on social media announcing a counter-protest. \u201cAll members of the Jewish community need to come out and protect the synagogue,\u201d says the flyer. Though it includes the social media handles of the synagogue, the call for a counter-protest did not appear to come from Park East Synagogue itself. (A spokesperson for the synagogue declined to comment.)<\/p>\n Past events have led to sometimes violent confrontations<\/a> between protesters and counter-demonstrators<\/a>.<\/p>\n In light of the dueling protests planned outside Park East Synagogue, Raskin, the mayoral spokesperson, called for both the safety of eventgoers and respect for the free-speech rights of the protesters.<\/p>\n \u201cOur administration has also been clear that we are committed to ensuring safe entry and exit from any house of worship,\u201d he said, \u201cand that such access never be in question while all protesters are able to exercise their First Amendment rights.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019re independent of corporate interests \u2014 and powered by members. Join us. <\/p>\n Join Our Newsletter <\/p>\n Thank You For Joining! <\/p>\n \n Original reporting. Fearless journalism. Delivered to you. <\/p>\n Will you take the next step to support our independent journalism by becoming a member of The Intercept?\n <\/p>\n By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Use<\/a>.<\/p>\n Protests at Park East<\/p>\n Park East Synagogue has already been the site of one anti-Zionist protest that raised hackles in New York.<\/p>\n
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