‘Unacceptable’: London protesters slam illegal Israeli settlement land sale

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators have gathered in the British capital to condemn an event promoting the sale of land and properties in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Demonstrators outside the so-called “Great Israeli Real Estate Event” in London on Sunday shouted slogans and held posters reading, “Stop Israel’s illegal sale of stolen Palestinian land” and “Thou shalt not steal”.

“We’re here today protesting as Palestinians living in London, [to say] that we refuse the selling of our lands, our homelands,” Jeanine Hourani, an organiser with the Palestinian Youth Movement, told Al Jazeera at the rally.

“We know that what is happening today is illegal under international law,” Hourani said.

The atmosphere was tense as dozens of police officers were deployed to the demonstration, where a large group of pro-Israel counter-protesters – some of whom shouted, “Palestine doesn’t exist” – rallied in support of the event.

The Metropolitan Police said 15 people were arrested during the demonstrations “for a range of offences, including public order matters”.

The event, organised by the My Home in Israel real estate agency, drew widespread opposition from human rights activists and politicians across the United Kingdom who urged the British government to stop it happening.

Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law, and the International Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that Israel’s occupation was unlawful and should end.