100 Pro-Palestine Protesters Storm NYC Synagogue Over Illegal West Bank Real Estate Sales

About 100 pro-Palestinian activists descended on Manhattan’s Upper East Side on Tuesday evening, transforming the Park East Synagogue into a flashpoint over the controversial sale of West Bank properties.

The demonstration targeted the Great Israeli Real Estate Event, a gathering designed to market Israeli properties to foreign buyers and facilitate relocation to Israel. But organizers faced an explosive problem: many of the properties being hawked are built on occupied Palestinian land.

Scuffles erupted between pro-Palestinian protesters and counterprotesters outside the venue. Things escalated when demonstrators attempted to bypass security barriers, prompting police intervention and further confrontations.

This marks the second major clash at the same location in six months. The group Pal-Awda NY orchestrated both actions, signaling sustained pressure on real estate expos that have become regular flashpoints across the United States and Canada.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani wasted no time condemning the event itself. A spokesperson stated that properties being marketed violated international law and were “deeply tied to the ongoing displacement of Palestinians.” Under international law, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are classified as illegal.

The expo’s marketing materials referenced Gush Etzion, a settlement cluster southeast of Jerusalem. Companies displayed properties in Kfar Eldad and Karnei Shomron, among others.

But the controversy extends beyond international law. Activists have long accused the real estate organizers of violating US domestic law through discriminatory practices. In 2024, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee filed complaints with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Justice, arguing that “refusing to sell property to anyone based on their race or national origin is unlawful.”

That same year, the New Jersey Civil Rights Division investigated an expo in West Orange after attendees reported being asked for detailed religious information, including which synagogue they attended and their rabbi’s name.

Jewish Voice for Peace accused organizers of deliberately holding the event at a religious institution to shield themselves from criticism. In a statement on X, the group blasted the gathering as “racist, exclusionary, and perpetuating the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.”

Locally, some lawmakers sided with expo organizers. State Assemblyman Micah Lasher condemned the protesters, claiming their demonstrations were “intended to create fear in the hearts of Jewish New Yorkers.”

Meanwhile, the NYC Council has already tightened restrictions. New legislation now requires police to establish buffer zones around places of worship during demonstrations.

Washington’s position remains complicated. In 2019, Trump declared the US no longer considers West Bank settlements illegal under international law, a major shift from previous administrations. Yet Trump has opposed outright annexation, even as settlement construction accelerates. The US continues funneling billions annually in military aid to Israel despite international condemnation of settlement expansion.