A controversial real estate event promoting properties in Israel’s illegal West Bank settlements has sparked fierce debate in New York City, drawing condemnation from Mayor Zohran Mamdani and mass demonstrations from pro-Palestinian activists this week. The expo, hosted Tuesday at Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue, marked the second such event held at the venue since November, showcasing homes in the Israeli settlements of Kfar Eldad and Karnei Shomron alongside guidance for buyers on tax and mortgage arrangements.
Under international law, Israel’s 1967 occupation of the West Bank is deemed illegal by the United Nations, and all Israeli settlements constructed on occupied Palestinian territory are classified as unlawful. The Fourth Geneva Convention explicitly prohibits occupying powers from transferring their own civilian populations into occupied territory, a core legal principle that underpins global opposition to Israeli settlement expansion.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, one day after the event, Mamdani made clear his firm opposition to the expo. “When we have a real estate expo that is promoting the sale of land, which includes the sale of land in occupied West Bank in settlements that are a violation of international law, that is something that I firmly disagree with,” the mayor said. He added that the event ran counter to the views of most New Yorkers, noting that settlement expansion is a core driver of the ongoing displacement of Palestinian people from their ancestral land.
Hundreds of demonstrators organized by the Palestinian advocacy group Pal-Awda gathered near the synagogue Tuesday to protest the event. A heavy deployment of NYPD officers and barricades corralled the crowd a full block away from the venue, and Pal-Awda issued a scathing statement Wednesday accusing police of widespread excessive force. The organization claims law enforcement violently kettled and barricaded peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters while allowing pro-Zionist counter-protesters to operate freely, adding that officers used pepper spray on demonstrators and physically assaulted attendees through aggressive grabbing and shoving.
Video footage provided to independent outlet Middle East Eye by Pal-Awda captured a tense late-night standoff, with officers shouting orders for protesters to pull back from the barricades as the crowd pushed against the barriers. In his remarks Wednesday, Mamdani struck a careful balance, affirming that the city upholds the fundamental right to peaceful protest while also guaranteeing that all New Yorkers can access houses of worship safely. The mayor declined to criticize police conduct, saying officers “ensured [both rights] yesterday.”
The incident comes amid long-simmering tension over the Mamdani administration’s approach to policing pro-Palestinian activism. Before his inauguration in January, the mayor confirmed he would retain outgoing Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, a move that drew condemnation from more than 100 grassroots organizations across the country in December. Critics argue Tisch has overseen a harsh crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrators, and note she hails from one of New York’s wealthiest and most politically influential families. In their December statement, the advocacy groups said retaining Tisch aligns the Mamdani administration with the NYPD’s long history of racialized policing, surveillance and political repression, representing a retreat from the justice and liberation values the mayor campaigned on.
Pal-Awda has also leveled a separate legal criticism against the expo, saying organizers required entry to be cleared through a stringent vetting process that uses religious and political screening criteria. The group argues these requirements violate the U.S. Fair Housing Act and federal anti-discrimination laws, particularly for the event’s Manhattan-based real estate offerings that were only open to a pre-approved select group. Pal-Awda condemned what it called “shameful that Zionist agencies continue to hide their illegal activities in houses of worship.”
The controversy is not the first effort by Palestinian advocates to challenge the marketing of occupied West Bank land to New York residents. Back in March 2024, Palestinian lawyers and advocates submitted an official demand letter to New York’s attorney general, calling for a formal audit and investigation into these sales. A demand letter typically serves as the final step before legal action is filed, and Pal-Awda confirmed this week that no official response has been received from the attorney general’s office.
In his Wednesday remarks, Mamdani also sought to draw a clear line between political criticism of Israeli government policy and religious bigotry, reaffirming that “there is no tolerance for antisemitism” in New York City. “Critique of the policies of a government are very much separate from bigotry towards the people of a specific religious faith,” he said.