The Companies Making It Easy to Buy in a West Bank Settlement

FROM THE INTERCEPT - In late June, a company called My Israel Home hosted an expo at a Los Angeles synagogue catering to a specific clientele: Jewish Americans looking to buy a new home in Israel — or on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Similar real estate fairs have popped up across North America this year, in places such as Montreal, Toronto, New Jersey, Baltimore, and Brooklyn, and several have faced protests as the war on Gaza has brought the issue of Israeli settlements and Palestinian sovereignty to the fore.

An outbreak of violence at the LA event thrust the incident into the national spotlight. Protesters at the Adas Torah synagogue, who decried the sale of what they called “stolen land,” were met by pro-Israel counterprotesters on the West LA streets. Fights broke out among demonstrators, LA police said, while protesters reported being beaten by police with batons. The fracas was cast in the national media as an incident of violence at a place of worship, rather than a political protest at a corporate event, prompting political leaders from both parties, including President Joe Biden, to characterize the demonstration as antisemitic. The Justice Department said it is investigating the incident.

But homebuyers interested in purchasing a property in the occupied West Bank have a more convenient option for making an offer: a simple scroll through online listings.

On websites largely tailored for Jewish American buyers looking to move to Israel, prospective homeowners can browse properties that include listings for homes in settlement communities, which offer the typical trappings of suburban life. 

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(Jonah Valdez is a journalist and poet based in Los Angeles. As a general assignment reporter, Jonah has covered climate-driven wildfires, mass shootings, environmental justice issues, criminal, legal issues, social justice movements, pop culture and the Hollywood industry. His current writing is interested in tracing the effects of neocolonial policies in a postcolonial world. He previously was a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times and the Southern California News Group. His work can also be found in The Guardian, Voice of San Diego and The San Diego Union-Tribune.)