Legal notice sent to London synagogue hosting Great Israeli Real Estate Event
A legal notice has been sent to the Edgware United Synagogue over its hosting of the Great Israeli Estate Event on Sunday, Middle East Eye has learned.
On Wednesday, MEE reported details of the upcoming event's connection to illegal Israeli settlements.
The event's location has not been announced by organisers, but MEE understands it is set to be held at the Edgware United Synagogue in Edgware in northwest London from midday onwards on Sunday.
A protest is being planned by groups including the Palestinian Youth Movement and the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network at the intersection of Edgware Way and Broadhurst Avenue, near the synagogue, MEE has learned.
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), a UK-based legal group, sent a letter to the synagogue on Saturday evening to place it "on notice of serious legal and reputational concerns regarding the event".
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The letter, seen by MEE, said: "The event is being promoted as a platform for the marketing and sale of real estate in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory."
It warned: "Government guidance expressly advises businesses against engaging in economic and financial activities connected to settlements and warns of the legal and commercial risks associated with such activities."
The letter said that while the synagogue "may have no involvement in the organisation of the event beyond providing the venue, hosting the event would inevitably facilitate its operation and confer legitimacy upon it".
On Friday, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "I share concerns about the Great Israeli Real Estate Event taking place in our city, which I oppose, and that's why I've discussed this directly with the Met Police.
"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."
MEE has contacted the synagogue for comment.
Links to Israeli settlements
Emanuel Vatari, CEO of one of the event's sponsors, the Emanuel Group, posted a list of participating companies on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
The list includes Harey Zahav, an Israeli real estate development company whose website advertises property in Negohot, an illegal Israeli settlement in the southern Hebron Hills in the occupied West Bank.
Also on the list is the Meshulam Levinstein Group, a collection of engineering, construction and real estate companies.
It has built residential and commercial projects in illegal settlements in both the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
One was a housing project and a commercial centre it built in the settlement neighbourhood of Homat Shmuel in occupied East Jerusalem.
Another participant is the Tivuch Shelly real estate agency, which advertises properties in Ma'ale Adunim - a West Bank settlement.
Africa Israel Residences, another company participating in the event, is part of the Africa Israel Group, which has been involved in several projects in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
On Friday, more than 100 MPs urged the cancellation of the event in a letter to the foreign secretary.
"Allowing the event to proceed would not only be inconsistent with current UK government guidance on settlement-related economic activity, it would stand in opposition to the government's obligations under international law," the letter to Yvette Cooper read.
A government spokesperson said: "Expansion in the West Bank is wrong. We will be bringing forward updated guidance in the coming days, giving greater clarity to UK businesses on how to avoid ventures which support these illegal settlements."
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