March 3 (UPI) — Palestinian groups are calling for supporters to protest an event at a New Jersey synagogue marketing the sale of homes in the West Bank.
A review of homes listed to be showcased in the real estate event by My Home In Israel Real Estate shows cottages in Efrat, a settlement in the West Bank. The cottages are listed for $1.3 million. The event is expected to take place on March 10 at Keter Torah Synagogue in Teaneck, N.J.
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Palestinian groups had encouraged supporters to protest the event, calling it an auction. Juda Engelmayer, a spokesperson for the synagogue, told UPI that the place of worship has been rented by a group of developers to hold the event.
“That said, it’s solely educational and informational, discussing the options, tax and financial implications for U.S. citizens buying property abroad,” Engelmayer said. “No sales happen there and it’s not an auction of any sort.”
Engelmayer specified that the event does not just market homes in the West Bank, but across Israel.
“It is not a tax sale, not a government auction of abandoned property, and not an attempt to sell stolen land to Americans,” he said.
A review of homes being offered for sale shows that some are seemingly just outside of the 1949 Armistice Line that delineates the border between Israel and the Palestinian territory. Israeli settlements inside those borders are considered illegal by the United States and the international community.
“A synagogue in Teaneck will be hosting a real estate sale auctioning off Occupied Palestinian land. This event takes place every other year — and it has for YEARS,” Teaneck for Palestine said in a post on Instagram.
The group criticized the town’s council for having passed a resolution claiming that the town stands with Israel.
“The truth is this is NOT where the people of Teaneck stand!! We are not just anti-Zionist, but PRO-PALESTINE,” the group said. “Our actions and demands are always led by our love and solidarity for the people of Palestine! Join us in a protest against the illegal sale of stolen Palestinian land!”
This story has been updated to clarify that the event is not an auction and to include statements made on behalf of Keter Torah Synagogue.
