Reminiscent of the West Bank: ProIsrael activists attack protesters at London settlement event

Pro-Israel activists threatened and attacked anti-apartheid protesters outside a London real estate event accused of marketing property in illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine.

Demonstrators gathered outside Edgware United Synagogue on Sunday to protest against the “Great Israeli Real Estate Event”, which activists and rights groups say promoted land theft, apartheid and colonisation under the cover of property sales.

Andrey Khrzhanovskiy, a journalist and activist against Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank, told Middle East Eye that the scenes reminded him of settler attacks he had witnessed in Palestine.

“We are surrounded by a bunch of Zionists who are counter-protesting and attacking people a bunch of Palestinian activists were attacked by the Zionists and then got arrested,” said Khrzhanovskiy.

“This is very reminiscent of everything that I've seen in the West Bank…I feel like I've been here before,” he added.

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Middle East Eye journalist Maya Saad said from the protest that “rights groups, activists, and more than a hundred British MPs have been calling on the UK government to cancel the event due to its connection to illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine.”

Footage published online showed anti-Zionist activists disrupting the event and denouncing the sale of occupied Palestinian land.

'There is no Palestine, we flattened it'

A list of participating companies posted by a sponsor earlier this week included at least four groups that advertise properties in illegal Israeli settlements or have been directly involved in settlement construction.

Outside the synagogue, pro-Israel activists chanted “There is no Palestine, we flattened it”, while children shouted “whores” and “prostitutes” at pro-Palestine activists.

Paul, an activist who spoke to MEE, said the event betrayed Jewish history and values.

“I'm a true practising and very proud Jew who sees what's going on between Israel and the Palestinians as an abomination of Judaism.”

“This event is land theft. They are trading land to explicitly only a Jewish population in order to organise settlers to move to their apartheid state. And in the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, we say this is a disgrace to Jewish history of resistance against fascism and racism,” added Paul.

“They are the fascists, they are the racists, and we will not stand for a moment while they trade in Palestinian land,” said Paul.

Amnesty International UK has described such events as “apartheid and annexation with a sales pitch”.

MEE reported on sunday that The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians also sent a legal notice to Edgware United Synagogue, warning of “serious legal and reputational concerns regarding the event”.

middleeasteye.net