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Police urged to investigate London event advertising settlement-linked Israeli agency
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians has asked the Metropolitan Police to investigate the participation of the Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA) at a London travel trade event. The request concerns the JDA’s tourism platform, iTravelJerusalem, which promotes tourism in occupied East Jerusalem; it comes amid British government sanctions on Israeli settlements and a commitment to restrict their promotion.
The JDA is a joint Israeli government and Jerusalem municipality agency that has been involved in settlement construction and expansion. Its platform is part of the Israeli stand at World Travel Market, where Palestine Solidarity Campaign activists protested on Tuesday and two were removed by security guards. Fifteen MPs have separately called on the government to seek the removal of exhibitors whose participation could promote settlements; the police and event organisers were asked to comment.
In short
- A legal group has urged police to investigate the JDA’s presence at a London travel event.
- The agency’s tourism platform promotes occupied East Jerusalem.
- Fifteen MPs have also called for settlement-linked exhibitors to be removed.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
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The case for
Those urging an investigation argue that a publicly backed agency linked to settlement expansion is using a major UK trade event to promote tourism in occupied East Jerusalem. They say this may conflict with Britain’s sanctions and stated commitment to restrict settlement promotion, and that asking police to examine the circumstances is a legitimate way to establish whether any rules were breached.
The case against
Those opposing police involvement could argue that exhibiting a tourism platform at a trade event is not, on the reported facts, evidence of a criminal offence, and that disagreement over settlement promotion should be addressed through government policy or the event organiser. They may also stress that the platform promotes travel to Jerusalem and that a police investigation risks treating contested political advocacy as a law-enforcement matter without clear evidence of illegality.
Explained simply
The Jerusalem Development Authority is a joint Israeli government and Jerusalem municipality agency. Its tourism platform, iTravelJerusalem, promotes visits to the city, including occupied East Jerusalem, an area whose status is disputed internationally.
The issue is whether promoting tourism there also promotes Israeli settlements, which Britain has sanctioned and says it will not promote. The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians has asked London’s Metropolitan Police to investigate the agency’s participation in a travel trade event; the question matters because it touches on how those restrictions apply to tourism and public events.
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