Palestinian Rights Group Urges Police to Probe Israeli Tourism Agency at London Expo

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians submitted a letter to the Metropolitan Police war crimes team on Tuesday, requesting an urgent investigation into the presence of an Israeli agency at the World Travel Market in London. The group is demanding preventative measures regarding the participation of the Jerusalem Development Authority, which operates a stand at the exhibition through its iTravelJerusalem platform.

The Jerusalem Development Authority is a statutory body serving the Israeli government and the Jerusalem municipality. It has led development projects in East Jerusalem, including the construction of settlements on occupied Palestinian land. Since 2023, the agency has worked with Finn Partners, a global marketing firm, to promote Jerusalem as a tourist destination in Britain. The legal letter suggests that event organizers may be receiving exhibition fees or other financial benefits from an agency implicated in settlement activities, a circumstance the group believes warrants a probe into potential offences.

Protests occurred on Tuesday as activists from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign gathered near the Israeli stand. They held a banner declaring that every settlement is a war crime. Video footage shows security guards physically removing two activists from the venue during the demonstration. Ryvka Barnard, deputy director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, described the Israeli state's presence at the market as an utter disgrace. She argued that the situation tests the Labour government's willingness to intervene after the foreign secretary acknowledged the illegality of the occupation and promised to ban the advertising of illegal settlements.

The police inquiry follows a letter sent on Monday by fifteen members of parliament to the British government. Those lawmakers demanded urgent action to require the removal of exhibitors who promote illegal settlements. This request comes one month after the UK recognized the occupation as illegal and announced sanctions on settlements.

Recent reports indicate the development authority has planned major projects in the region. These include the eviction of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah to build a 320-unit settlement. The agency also approved a cable car project in 2020 that involved displacing infrastructure and removing trees, and it has plans for a large housing project near the Beit Safafa community.

Hussam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to Britain, stated that Israeli companies involved in ethnic cleansing would be platformed at the market. He urged the UK government to enforce its commitments and ensure that those complicit in the occupation face real consequences. The World Travel Market continues until Thursday, and the Metropolitan Police and event organizers have not yet responded to requests for comment.

The formal request to police marks a distinct legal step beyond the parliamentary appeal, focusing on the commercial relationship between the authority and the event organizers. The group believes the circumstances warrant an urgent investigation into potential offences.