Pro-Palestinian group seeks ban on Israeli real-estate fair in Paris

Pro-Palestinian activists have asked a French court to ban an Israeli real-estate fair in Paris which they say offers a bonus to prospective Jewish settlers in the occupied territories, sources told AFP on Thursday. The Franco-Palestinian NIDAL association filed an emergency motion to a court against the 9th Icube real estate and investment salon, arguing that the fair violates human rights. The event is to place on Sunday at the European Centre for Judaism in the French capital.

Other major cities have seen similar uproars over Israeli real estate fairs accused of marketing houses in the occupied territories. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the 2026 edition of the Great Israeli Real Estate Event in Manhattan for that reason. NIDAL asked the court to either order the head of Paris police force to ban the event outright or to ensure that the event does not sell property in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, whose occupation by Israel since 1967 is considered illegal under international law.

Before taking legal action, the group said they had sent a letter to the Paris police on November 5, which went unanswered. In the filing, seen by AFP, the rights group argues that marketing Israeli settlements in the occupied territories contributes to the replacement of the Palestinian people through population transfer -- a practice prohibited by international law and classified as a war crime under the French penal code. In particular, the activists highlighted the presence of BH Nadlan, a company that markets apartments in both East Jerusalem and the West Bank on its website.

They also pointed to the fair's official guide's offer of a "significant" financial "bonus" for newcomers settling in "Judea and Samaria", the Israeli term for the occupied West Bank. svh/sbk/jj