Foreign Secretary warns businesses and charities ahead of ‘Israeli real estate event’ advertising settlement land

The Foreign Secretary has issued a warning to UK businesses and charities involved in financing or expanding illegal settlements in the West Bank, following concerns raised by MPs about a real estate event in London on Sunday alleged to advertise the sale of illegal land.

Yvette Cooper said the government would “warn any businesses against associating themselves with potential breaches of international law and with becoming involved in a process that is undermining peace and security in the region.”

The ‘Great Israeli Real Estate Event’ is part of a series of international roadshows targeting diaspora communities.

It is openly advertising that this will include property in Gush Etzion, a cluster of Israeli settlements located in the Judaean Mountains, directly south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank.

Organisations such as Amnesty International and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign have led calls for it to be banned from going ahead in London, and have written directly to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

As she outlined new sanctions against six entities and one individual over links to settlements in the West Bank, Cooper faced calls from MPs from all parties for the government to take action against businesses and charities in this country found to be profiting from trade in illegal land.

Callum Miller, the Liberal Democrats’ defence spokesman, called for the Government to ban the Great Israeli Real Estate Event coming to London on Sunday.

Mr Miller said: “Properties in illegal settlements in Gush Etzion are being marketed alongside properties in Israeli cities – this is Palestinian land being advertised, bartered and sold on the streets of our capital.

“So, will the Government intervene to ban the event, unless assurances can be made that no properties in illegal settlements will be advertised?”

Debbie Abrahams, Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, also said the sale of Palestinian land at the event would be “flouting international law” in London.

Referencing those businesses operating from London, she added: “We will pursue any issue that we can around anything that might be a breach of the law, or might be issues that we can raise.”

Cooper argued there was a “moral responsibility” on businesses “and particularly on charities where we have additional powers” from them not to support illegal settlements.

The Foreign Secretary also confirmed she would be meeting with the Charity Commission this week to discuss the need for tougher enforcement over dealings with illegal land in the occupied West Bank.

As part of the moves, the UK will impose sanctions on six entities and one individual involved in financing, enabling and carrying out settler violence in the occupied West Bank. These include The Farms Association, Artzenu and Ahavat Gilad.

In a statement to the Commons, Cooper said: “This is a full package of sanctions under this Labour Government against extremist Israeli settlers.

“We have targeted some of the most notorious individuals, the most significant settler entities, and the extremist figures in the Israeli cabinet who are inciting these acts.

“Today’s measures mean the UK is second to none among international partners in targeting those facilitating and inciting settler violence.”

The package has been co-ordinated with the UK’s allies in Australia, Canada, France and Norway, who in a joint statement said they aimed to “hold extremist settlers accountable for the horrific levels of settler violence against Palestinian civilians”.

Some MPs criticised Cooper for not introducing a full ban on the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements.