A UK-based legal advocacy group focused on Palestinian justice has formally called on London’s Metropolitan Police to launch an urgent probe into the presence of an Israeli state agency heavily involved in illegal settlement construction at the ongoing World Travel Market (WTM), one of the global travel industry’s largest annual trade shows. The event, which runs through Thursday in London, already drew large-scale pro-Palestine demonstrations on Tuesday, with tensions flaring as event security physically removed two activists from the exhibition floor. The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) submitted an official letter to the Met Police’s dedicated war crimes unit on Tuesday, demanding immediate investigation and the consideration of preventative measures targeting the Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA), which is participating at WTM via its tourism outreach platform iTravelJerusalem. The JDA, a statutory body jointly overseen by the Israeli government and Jerusalem municipal authorities, has been extensively documented as a lead implementer of settlement expansion projects across occupied East Jerusalem and Palestinian territories, in direct violation of international law. Its high-profile ongoing plans include the forced eviction of 40 Palestinian families from the Umm Haroun compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood to build a 320-unit illegal settlement, a 2020-approved Jerusalem cable car project that would displace local critical water, sewage and telecommunications infrastructure while clearing hundreds of native trees, and a major new housing settlement adjacent to the Palestinian community of Beit Safafa. Since 2023, the agency has retained a contract with global marketing firm Finn Partners to promote occupied East Jerusalem as a leisure tourism destination across the UK. The ICJP’s letter raises specific concerns about the financial relationship between the WTM organisers and the JDA, noting that any exhibition fees or direct financial benefits the event may derive from the settlement-linked agency’s participation could constitute a potential criminal offence under UK laws targeting complicity in illegal settlement activity. The Israeli national pavilion at WTM, which hosts dozens of Israeli tourism and commercial entities, prominently features the iTravelJerusalem stand that markets travel experiences across occupied Palestinian land. The Tuesday demonstration organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) saw protesters gather directly outside the Israeli stand holding large banners reading “Every settlement is a war crime”, before two attendees were forcibly escorted out by private security staff. PSC Deputy Director Ryvka Barnard condemned the Israeli state’s presence at the event as a “utter disgrace”, pointing out that UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron publicly acknowledged the illegality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories just months prior, and pledged to ban all promotional activity for illegal Israeli settlements. “This is a critical test for the newly elected Labour government,” Barnard stated. “Voters are watching to see if they will honour their public commitments, move to shut down this stall and launch the requested criminal investigations into its organisers, or if their earlier statements will be exposed as nothing more than empty political rhetoric.” The pressure on authorities comes days after 15 sitting UK Members of Parliament sent an official letter to the British government on Monday, demanding that ministers intervene directly with WTM leadership to remove all exhibitors and promotional materials that facilitate or market illegal Israeli settlements. The UK government formally recognised Israel’s 57-year occupation of Palestinian territories as illegal last month, and announced a sweeping new package of sanctions targeting illegal Israeli settlement operations. Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Hussam Zomlot also released a public statement last Thursday in response to initial reporting on the JDA’s WTM participation, condemning the decision to platform “Israeli companies guilty of ethnic cleansing” at a major London industry event, and calling on the UK government to turn its previously stated commitments into tangible enforcement action to ensure all parties complicit in the illegal occupation and settlement expansion face meaningful legal consequences. Middle East Eye, which first broke the story of the JDA’s scheduled WTM appearance last week, has reached out to both the Metropolitan Police and WTM event organisers for official comment, with no public response issued as of press time.
Police urged to investigate London event advertising settlement-linked Israeli agency
