A brewing controversy over an upcoming real estate event in London that promotes properties linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has drawn public opposition from London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has confirmed he has raised concerns about the gathering with UK law enforcement and senior government departments.
Khan made his opposition official during Friday’s Mayor’s Question Time session at the London Assembly, responding to a question tabled by Zack Polanski, assembly member and leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. The gathering, branded the Great Israeli Real Estate Event, is scheduled to open this Sunday, though organizers have refused to publicly disclose its exact location.
In his address to the assembly, Khan made clear his position on the issue: “Israeli settlements in the West Bank are unjustifiable and illegal under international law. They are deeply tied to the ongoing displacement of Palestinians. I condemn any attempt to sell property in the settlements in the West Bank, be that in London or anywhere else in the world.”
The mayor added that his shared concerns over the event’s planned presence in London had prompted direct outreach to the Metropolitan Police (Met), the UK’s capital police force. “I’m informed that any allegations of criminality relating to the potentially unlawful sale of property at the event would be assessed by the Met with a view to investigation,” Khan said. When pressed by Polanski on whether he had contacted the UK foreign secretary, Khan confirmed his office had already established communications with both the Foreign Office and Home Office, declining to share further details on the discussions for operational reasons.
Following the question time session, Polanski told Middle East Eye (MEE) he welcomed Khan’s strong rebuke of the event and its ties to activity that violates international law, but stressed that concrete action is now needed. “In practical terms, the Met Police should shut down the event on the grounds that it is unlawful. London risks becoming complicit in settlement expansion if people in our capital are profiting from the theft of Palestinian land,” Polanski said.
Legal advocacy groups have already formally requested a police investigation into whether the event should be blocked under a UK Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO), a civil court order designed to restrict involvement in serious criminal activity. In a letter sent to the Met on Friday, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), the European Legal Support Center and the Public Interest Law Centre called on officers to assess whether reasonable grounds exist to investigate potential offenses stemming from the event’s organization, promotion and facilitation.
The letter specifically asks the Met to examine whether any financial flows tied to the event qualify as criminal property, and to consider applying for a SCPO if evidence confirms serious criminal conduct. “Palestinian land is not for sale, and occupation is not a real estate opportunity,” said Órlaith Roe, ICJP’s public affairs and communications officer. “This order sets out further evidence of the serious concerns surrounding the illegality of this event, concerns we have already raised with the Metropolitan Police.”
MEE’s prior reporting has confirmed direct links between the event’s participating companies and illegal settlement activity. Multiple participating firms openly advertise or have built projects in illegal Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem: Harey Zahav advertises properties in Negohot, a settlement in the southern Hebron Hills; the Meshulam Levinstein Group has constructed residential and commercial projects in illegal settlements including East Jerusalem’s Homat Shmuel neighborhood; Tivuch Shelly real estate agency lists properties in the Ma’ale Adunim settlement; and Africa Israel Residences, part of the Africa Israel Group, has been involved in multiple settlement projects across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. At the time of writing, the event’s website displays a map of Israel that incorporates all occupied Palestinian territories, though a reference to the Gush Etzion settlement cluster was removed from the site earlier this week.
The UK Foreign Office has already confirmed that Israeli settlements violate international law and pose a major barrier to lasting regional peace. Just days before the event, the UK government updated its official Business Risk Guidance to explicitly warn British citizens and businesses against engaging in any economic or financial activity tied to illegal Israeli settlements. When MEE requested comment from the Foreign Office earlier this week, a spokesperson said the government would continue coordinating policy with international allies and pursue concrete action to counter settlement expansion.
Event organizers have pushed back against the allegations in comments to Jewish News, denying any plans to feature properties from the occupied West Bank. They claimed “all exhibitors, without exception, will provide information about properties and projects within the Green Line” and dismissed criticism as “ridiculous allegations” motivated by anti-Israeli sentiment.
This is not the first time the Great Israeli Real Estate Event has sparked controversy: the gathering was held in New York City last month, where reporting from The Intercept confirmed at least one exhibitor advertised land sales in illegal occupied settlements. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani also publicly opposed the event, and Amnesty International UK has this week called on the UK government to take immediate action to block the London gathering from going forward.