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“We don’t want you here, but how dare you even think of leaving!” Ugh. [IsraelTimes] Event held in synagogue drew opposition from lawmakers, activists who claimed event marketed settlement homes, which organizers deny; Board of Deputies: ‘We are deeply disturbed’
Police reportedly arrested at least 14 people as pro- and anti-Israel protesters clashed for hours outside an event at a London synagogue promoting Israeli real estate.
Called the "Great Israeli Real Estate Event," the fair had drawn opposition from British politicians and activists who claimed it was marketing properties in the West Bank, even as the organizer of the event, My Home in Israel, said those allegations were false.
On Sunday, around 1,000 protesters in total showed up outside Edgware United Synagogue to support or oppose the event, according to local reports. Police said several of those who were arrested had committed religiously or racially aggravated offenses, as well as allegedly assaulting law enforcement, the Guardian reported.
Similar events held at synagogues in New York City have also drawn protests in recent years, with public officials weighing in. Attendees at the London event had to pass through metal detectors, the Guardian reported.
The London event occurred as British Jews have experienced a string of violent mostly peaceful attacks in recent months
Adam Slonecki, commander of the Metropolitan Police, said the force "deployed officers to prevent serious disruption and to deal with any offenses, using the full range of powers available to us including imposing conditions under the Public Order Act," according to the Guardian.
He added, "We are mindful that Jewish communities are experiencing heightened fear and concern following two and a half years of sustained protest and, in recent months, a series of arsons and other attacks."
Elected officials in the UK had mobilized to try to stop the event. More than 100 members of Parliament and the House of Lords wrote a letter of protest last week to UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, writing that the fair was "firmly embedded in Israel’s project of colonial expansion by facilitating the sale of land that has been stolen from Paleostinians."
"Allowing the event to proceed would not only be inconsistent with current UK government guidance on settlement-related economic activity, it would stand in opposition to the government’s obligations under international law," the letter added.
On Saturday, London Mayor Sadiq Khan posted on X, "I condemn any attempt to sell property in the settlements in the West Bank, be that in London or anywhere else in the world."
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, an umbrella body for the UK Jewish community, condemned those calls in a statement on Sunday, saying it was "deeply disturbed."
"The event organisers have publicly refuted claims that the event is marketing real estate over the Green Line," the statement said, referring to the border between the West Bank and Israel. "It is very disappointing that MPs and other public figures have not acknowledged this and instead inflamed tensions through partial and misleading commentary."
The group added, "Protesting at a synagogue based on false pretences seems to be little more than an excuse to harass and intimidate members of the Jewish community."
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