Stolen Land, Stolen Futures: The Legal and Ethical Costs of Israeli Land Sale Events

Executive Summary

This policy brief is driven by the growing trend of land sale events aimed at encouraging consumers in the U.S. and broader Northern America to buy land in occupied Palestine and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Introduction

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has confiscated approximately 27,000 dunams (6,600 acres) of land in the West Bank. A variety of methods have been used to forcibly displace Palestinians from their ancestral lands, including physical tactics such as airstrikes, demolitions, and violent assaults by armed settler groups. Additionally, Israel employs legal strategies, such as denying Palestinians building permits and criminalizing them for not possessing the required authorization.

Land sale events represent another tactic in this broader strategy, presenting the forced appropriation of Palestinian land under the guise of real estate opportunities. These  events, which promote luxury homes and condo developments, are held in cities across the U.S. and Canada, including Queens, Brooklyn, Teaneck, and Long Island. Organized by Israeli real estate firms, the events typically use a discriminatory screening process to restrict attendance to Jewish communities only.

This policy brief will examine the operations behind these land sale events, the legal violations they involve, and the ongoing campaign led by Pal-Awda NY/NJ to halt the sale of Palestinian land.

Livelihood in Exchange for Land

According to a representative from Jewish Voice for Peace, land sale events have been hosted by at least five different companies, including CapitIL, Home in Israel, My Home in Israel, and YYK Jerusalem. My Home in Israel’s website boasts that their services “help you find their perfect home in Israel” and claim that 25% of their properties are in Tel Aviv, 13% in the Central District, 13% in Haifa, and 50% in “other” locations. These “other locations” often include major settlements in the West Bank. For example, a site advertising 5 land sale events across the U.S. and Canada mentions the event will include answering questions related to purchasing land in Neve Daniel, Efrat, Ma’ale Adumim, Ashkelon, and more. According to Nora Barrows Friedman, associate editor at The Electronic Intifida, Ashkelon is a city north of Gaza, Ma’ale Addumim is one of the largest settlements in the West Bank, and Neve Daniel and Efrat are settlements in the area between Bethlehem and Hebron in the West Bank. It is evident that these land sale events contribute to the over 144 settlements in the West Bank, and provide promises of discounted mortgages and brand new homes in exchange for the livelihoods and blood of Palestinians.

Although Israeli real estate companies are often the hosts of such events, U.S. realtors have been involved in the planning and logistics of the sales. Through assisting with securing venues, marketing the events, and managing local transactions, U.S. realtors have helped buyers sell U.S. property to fund purchases in Israel. Documents from the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights show that Marina Dilamani of Voro and Sabrina Lewitinn of Exp Realty have participated in My Home in Israel events. Similarly, Home in Israel events have featured Jeremy Zucker of Keller Williams, as confirmed by Zucker's office to Prism, a non-profit media outlet.

These details highlight not only the direct involvement of Israeli real estate firms in the sale of Palestinian land, but also the complicity of U.S. realtors in facilitating these transactions, raising important questions about the legal and ethical implications of their participation.

Violations of Civil Rights & International Law

The Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit discrimination in housing sales based on several protected characteristics, including religion, ethnicity, and national origin. U.S. real estate agencies are bound by both their state and federal laws to ensure that the sale of property is open to all prospective buyers.

Land sale events have required that attendees be Jewish, and a screening process is utilized to determine the level of prospective buyers’ religiosity and religious affiliation. According to a report by Truthout, a Jewish individual interested in learning more about the operations of land sale event in Baltimore, received a call from a member of an Israeli real estate company. On the call, the realtor asked the individual which rabbi they followed, the rabbi’s number, and informed them they would ensure the rabbi knew who the individual was before permitting them to register for the event. Another Jewish member interested in registering was asked the name of her temple, the reading completed at the temple that past week, and if she had ever been to Israel. According to Tova from Pal-Awda:

“Realtors have set up a firewall of attendance registration requirements and questions, intended to exclude everyone but Jews who are linked to specific religious institutions. Not only non-Jews, but secular Jews as well would have a hard time passing their digital obstacle course of screening questions.”

Along with the screening process, certain properties promoted at the recent events are legally required to be reserved for Jewish buyers under Israeli law. These types of restrictions, referred to as "housing covenants" in the U.S., are prohibited under federal law. In March 2024, the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation Law Commission (PAL Law) filed complaints against Israeli real estate company My Home in Israel with authorities in New Jersey and New York. In response, The New Jersey Civil Rights Division (NJ CRD) sent a letter to an Israeli realtor affiliated with My Home in Israel requesting additional details about a My Home in Israel event that took place on March 10 at specifically asking for information on "the protocols and procedures used to decide whether to grant or deny entry."

Although it is uncertain whether or when the NJ CRD will move forward with its investigation into My Home in Israel, legal organizations and activists alike have continued to achieve their aim of disrupting and canceling such events.

In addition to violating domestic law, land sale events violate international law. Under Article 49 of the Geneva Convention, settlements have been determined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2004 to be serious breaches of international law, constituting war crimes. The issue is currently under review by the ICJ in the case of South Africa v. Israel, related to charges of genocide, and is also being examined by the International Criminal Court. Settlements and the properties listed at land sale events are nothing more than illegal encroachments on Palestinian land, and the existence of these real estate fairs are grave violations of domestic and international law.

Pal-Awda’s Stop the Sale of Stolen Land Campaign

‍Pal-Awda is one of the longest-standing grassroots organizations in New York City dedicated to Palestinian liberation. In response to the growing number of land sale events and the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, Pal-Awda has launched a campaign to halt the sale of stolen land. Through organizing  protests at land sale event locations, Pal-Awda has been able to pressure real estate companies to cancel these events.  Pal-Awda’s demonstrations have attracted hundreds of protestors, many waving Palestine flags and carrying signs condemning the Israeli, U.S. backed genocide. Although Zionist counter protesters have threatened abuse and yelled death threats at the pro Palestine crowd, this has not deterred large masses of protestors from continuing to show up for Palestine. Additionally, on January 23, 2035, Pal-Awda hosted its first teach-in about their Stolen Land campaign, where they covered the web of Zionist real estate, banks, settler forces selling Palestinian land, and their campaign to challenge and expose it.

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Pal-Awda has continued to fight against Israeli and U.S. real estate companies' attempt to annex stolen land, and their campaign has attracted a multitude of strong coalition partners and pro-Palestine supporters alike.

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Conclusion

The forced displacement of Palestinians from their ancestral lands continues through various methods, including military actions, legal restrictions, and the increasingly prevalent land sale events organized by Israeli real estate firms. These events, which promote settlement expansion and luxury developments on stolen Palestinian land, not only violate international and U.S. law but also exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region. By leveraging discriminatory practices to limit participation to Jewish communities, these events serve to capitalize the resources of U.S. and Canadian Jewish communities in furthering their goals of taking over all Palestine.

Pal-Awda’s campaign to halt these sales, alongside its educational efforts and direct actions, plays a crucial role in raising awareness and challenging the legal and moral legitimacy of these practices. Moving forward, it is essential that international and domestic actors work together to end the marketing of Palestinian land and hold those responsible for such violations accountable, ensuring that the rights of Palestinian people are respected and protected.

Recommendations

Watch Pal-Awda’s Stolen Land teach-in and learn more about the ties between Zionist real estate, illegal settlements, and stolen land events.

Join Pal-Awda and other organizations’ demonstrations to put pressure on Zionist real estate and achieve the cancellation of stolen land sales.

Knowledge is power- read up on local campaigns happening near you and ways you can be involved.  

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