Pro-Palestinian group asks French court to ban Israeli real estate fair in Paris
A Franco-Palestinian association has filed an emergency court motion to stop a Paris property fair it says markets homes in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
By Amir Navarro ·
A pro-Palestinian organisation has asked a French court to ban an Israeli real estate fair due to be held in Paris on Sunday. The event markets property in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, AFP reported on Thursday.
The Franco-Palestinian association NIDAL filed an emergency motion against the 9th Icube real estate and investment salon, which is scheduled to take place at the European Centre for Judaism in the French capital. The group argues that the fair violates human rights and should not be allowed to go ahead.
In its motion, NIDAL asked the court to either order the head of the Paris police force to ban the event outright, or to ensure that no property in the West Bank or East Jerusalem is sold during the fair.
Israel has occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967. The occupation is considered illegal under international law, a point at the core of the association's case against the salon.
Before taking legal action, the group said it had sent a letter to the Paris police on 5 November. According to the association, the letter went unanswered, and the lack of a response led it to seek urgent judicial intervention days before the fair is due to open.
In the filing, seen by AFP, the rights group says that marketing Israeli settlements in the occupied territories contributes to the forced displacement of the Palestinian people through population transfer. This practice is prohibited by international law and is classified as a war crime under the French penal code, the filing states.
Among the companies the activists singled out is BH Nadlan, a firm that markets settlements in both East Jerusalem and the West Bank on its website. The company will be present at the fair, according to the filing.
They also pointed to the fair's official guide, which promotes what it calls a "significant" financial "bonus" for newcomers settling in "Judea and Samaria", the Israeli term used for the occupied West Bank. The offer was cited as part of the group's case that the fair encourages settlement in occupied territory.
Similar Israeli real estate fairs have sparked uproar in other major cities, and the Paris salon is the latest to draw opposition from pro-Palestinian activists.
