Pro-Palestinian group seeks to ban Israeli expo in Paris offering real estate in West Bank settlements

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 West Bank, sources tell AFP.

The Franco-Palestinian NIDAL association files 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 set to be held on Sunday at the European Centre for Judaism in the French capital.

NIDAL asks the court to either order the head of the 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.

Before taking legal action, the group says 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 West Bank 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 highlight 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 biblical term for the West Bank.