{"id":1593993,"date":"2024-04-06T14:17:52","date_gmt":"2024-04-06T14:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/?p=465835"},"modified":"2024-04-06T14:17:52","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T14:17:52","slug":"israeli-real-estate-firm-used-genocidal-rhetoric-then-politicos-parent-company-put-them-in-a-trade-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2024\/04\/06\/israeli-real-estate-firm-used-genocidal-rhetoric-then-politicos-parent-company-put-them-in-a-trade-fair\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli Real Estate Firm Used Genocidal Rhetoric \u2014 Then Politico&#8217;s Parent Company Put Them in a Trade Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><u>Yad2, the largest<\/u> classifieds site in Israel and a subsidiary of German publishing giant Axel Springer, is <a href=\"https:\/\/lp.yad2site.co.il\/\">hosting a real estate fair<\/a> in Tel Aviv this weekend. The proceedings, which got underway Friday, were slated to showcase Israeli real estate firms, including both those that list properties within Israel\u2019s internationally recognized borders and those that offer listings for Jewish-only settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The website for the Yad2 fair features a host of Israeli real estate firms doing business in the West Bank, including Tanya Israel, currently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tanyaisrael.co.il\/projects\/%2525D7%252594%2525D7%25259E%2525D7%252595%2525D7%2525A9%2525D7%252591%2525D7%252594\/\">marketing <\/a>32 housing units in Efrat; Ram Aderet, which is advertising a construction project in Ariel; and Oron, with its &#8220;expansion project&#8221; of 40 villas in Eshkolot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also being promoted by Yad2 for its involvement in the fair is the firm <a href=\"https:\/\/en.hzahav.com\/\">Harey Zahav<\/a>, which was recently at the center of two international controversies linked to Israel\u2019s war in Gaza. Harey Zahav operated a large booth at Yad2&#8217;s confab, complete with exposed wood rafters that resembled a real house under construction.<\/p>\n\n\n<!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22israel-palestine%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <aside class=\"promote-banner\">\n    <a class=\"promote-banner__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/collections\/israel-palestine\/\">\n              <span class=\"promote-banner__image\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?fit=300%2C150\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 7: Civil defense teams and citizens continue search and rescue operations after an airstrike hits the building belonging to the Maslah family during the 32nd day of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Ashraf Amra\/Anadolu via Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=5760 5760w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=300 300w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=768 768w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=540 540w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/GettyImages-1768403880-2.jpg?w=3600 3600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>        <\/span>\n            <div class=\"promote-banner__text\">\n                  <p class=\"promote-banner__eyebrow\">\n            Read our complete coverage          <\/p>\n        \n        <h2 class=\"promote-banner__title\">Israel\u2019s War on Gaza<\/h2>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/aside>\n<!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[0] -->\n\n\n\n<p>Critics have accused Harey Zahav of stoking some of the genocidal sentiments that landed Israel in the Hague\u2019s International Court of Justice. In October, the firm <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CynkEuFIuvf\/\">shared<\/a> an image on Instagram depicting a tank, alongside a quote from the Book of Deuteronomy: \u201cYour God will deliver them up to you, throwing them into utter panic until they are wiped out\u201d \u2014 from a chapter of Scripture widely interpreted to be God <a href=\"https:\/\/adath-shalom.ca\/divrei\/commandment_genocide.htm\">calling<\/a> for the genocide of the pre-Israelite inhabitants of the Holy Land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harey Zahav also recently caused <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/live-news\/20231227-former-israeli-settlers-yearn-to-return-to-gaza-after-war\">international uproar<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C0ygttBoH6X\/\">publishing a<\/a>n <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C0ygttBoH6X\/\">ad<\/a>, titled &#8220;A House on the Beach is not a Dream,\u201d that photoshopped transparent housing units into a picture of war-ravaged homes in Gaza. \u201cWe at Harey Zahav are working to prepare the ground for a return to Gush Katif,\u201d the ad said, referring to a cluster of settlements in southern Gaza dismantled during Israel&#8217;s evacuation in 2005. Another ad from the company listed &#8220;presale prices&#8221; on a map of lots in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>After widespread <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/program\/newsfeed\/2023\/12\/19\/israeli-real-estate-firm-pushes-settlement-building-in-gaza\">condemnation<\/a> of the ads, Harey Zahav\u2019s CEO Zeev Epshtein <a href=\"https:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/israel-news\/2023-12-20\/ty-article\/.premium\/no-an-israeli-real-estate-company-is-not-selling-beachfront-homes-in-gaza\/0000018c-86d1-d60e-afdf-e6df243a0000\">told Haaretz<\/a> that the company\u2019s ads were \u201ca sort of satirical idea.\u201d He did not offer any remarks about the ad with the genocidal Bible reference. (Harey Zahav did not respond to a request for comment.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!-- BLOCK(pullquote)[2](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PULLQUOTE%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22pull%22%3A%22right%22%7D) --><blockquote class=\"stylized pull-right\" data-shortcode-type=\"pullquote\" data-pull=\"right\"><!-- CONTENT(pullquote)[2] -->\u201cIt\u2019s an apartheid culture. Nearly everything here is accepted these days.\u201d<!-- END-CONTENT(pullquote)[2] --><\/blockquote><!-- END-BLOCK(pullquote)[2] -->\n\n\n\n<p>Dror Etkes, an expert on settlements, said the notion of rebuilding settlements in Gaza is far from mainstream political, though, in Israel. Nonetheless, the lack of attention paid to a large company like Yad2\u2019s willingness to host Harey Zahav and <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2024\/02\/05\/axel-springer-israel-settlement-profit\/\">companies doing business in West Bank settlements<\/a> speaks to acceptance of radical politics in Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an apartheid culture,\u201d he said. \u201cNearly everything here is accepted these days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a statement, Julia Sommerfeld, a spokesperson for Axel Springer, said, \u201cYad2 is organizing a trade fair at which more than 40 companies are represented, including all of Israel&#8217;s major real estate companies. As a direct competitor, our goal is not to promote the work of other companies, but to promote exchange within the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-israeli-far-right-empowered\">Israeli Far Right Empowered<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Axel Springer, which also owns American media brands like Politico and Business Insider, <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2024\/02\/05\/axel-springer-israel-settlement-profit\/\">makes money from <\/a>the Yad2 classified site\u2019s home sales and rentals in Jewish-only West Bank settlements, The Intercept previously reported. Yad2 publishes listings in the settlements as well as so-called settlement outposts, unauthorized even by Israeli legal standards. Yad2 lists over 1,000 paid ads from brokerage firms for settlement homes \u2014 which means revenue for its parent, Axel Springer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYad2 operates fully in accordance with Israeli law,\u201d said Sommerfeld, the Springer spokesperson. \u201cDiscrimination of any kind is strictly prohibited on the Yad2 platform. If users encounter individual ads that conflict with Yad2&#8217;s policies or applicable Israeli law, they are encouraged to report them. The relevant advertisements will then be checked and removed in the event of a violation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Satire or not on home listings in Gaza \u2014 &#8220;We want it to happen,\u201d Epshtein, the CEO, said in an interview, \u201cbut it&#8217;s the state&#8217;s decision\u201d \u2014 the website of Harey Zahav\u2019s real estate business focuses on projects in Jewish-only West Bank settlements. Etkes pointed to the company\u2019s proximity to the Israeli settler movement and the blessing it receives from the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;They require state authorization to build,\u201d he said. \u201cEven more so in the West Bank, where the vast majority of land has been expropriated from Palestinians and is controlled by Israel\u2019s civil administration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Gaza \u201csatire\u201d underscores the political empowerment of Israel\u2019s right wing, and particularly the settler movement, after the October 7 attack by Hamas. Political radicals have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/mar\/27\/israeli-settlers-protest-un-agency-refugees-unrwa-jerusalem\">blocking aid convoys<\/a> into Gaza and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.972mag.com\/israeli-settlers-gaza-outpost-erez-crossing\/\">erecting symbolic outposts<\/a> along the Gaza border. Meanwhile, high-ranking figures in the Israeli government have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/israeli-settlers-hold-conference-resettlement-gaza-2024-01-28\/\">openly articulated <\/a>their ambitions for Israeli control and a renewed Israeli civilian presence in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2024\/04\/06\/axel-springer-yad2-israel-genocide-settlement\/\">Israeli Real Estate Firm Used Genocidal Rhetoric \u2014 Then Politico&#8217;s Parent Company Put Them in a Trade Fair<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/\">The Intercept<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2024\/04\/06\/axel-springer-yad2-israel-genocide-settlement\/\">The Intercept<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The confab put on by real estate site Yad2, a subsidiary of publishing giant Axel Springer, includes numerous companies doing business in the West Bank.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2024\/04\/06\/axel-springer-yad2-israel-genocide-settlement\/\">Israeli Real Estate Firm Used Genocidal Rhetoric \u2014 Then Politico\u2019s Parent Company Put Them in a Trade Fair<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/\">The Intercept<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30189,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[340],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593993"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30189"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1593993"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1595022,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593993\/revisions\/1595022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1593993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1593993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1593993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}