How global real estate giant RE/MAX profits from stolen Palestinian landUS-based multinational RE/MAX is marketing properties in illegal Jews-onl settlements built on stolen Palestinian land su!" as Ariel# near Salfit in t"e $est %ank&'eren ManorA!ti(eStillsBen Norton The Electronic Intifada 12 August 2015Agents working for t"e US-"ead)uartered real estate giant RE/MAX are promoting t"emsel(es as spe!ialists in propert built in *srael+s settlements on o!!upied Palestinian land&,"e -olorado-based !orporation w"i!" sas it operates in nearl .// !ountries was identified as responsible b a 0/.1 United 2ations+ probe for "ow its *sraeli fran!"ises sell "ouses and apartments in t"e o!!upied $est %ank&3espite t"at !riti!ism# man RE/MAX representati(es are !ontinuing to "andle su!" propert&S"lomo %en4a)uen# a RE/MAX agent# states on a website run b t"e !ompan t"at "is 5area of e6pertise7 in!ludes a number of *sraeli settlements&He parti!ularl re!ommends 'ok"a( 8aako(# ,el 9ion and Adam :also known as ;e(a %inamin< as 5!ommunities7 w"i!" 5offer tremendous (alue to oung families and in(estors looking for "ig" returns&7*n fa!t# all of t"ese 5!ommunities7 are *sraeli settlements inside t"e $est %ank and are illegal under international law& ,"eir !onstru!tion and growt" (iolates t"e =ourt" ;ene(a -on(ention# w"i!" forbids an o!!uping power from transferring its !i(ilian population into a territor t"at it o!!upies&,"e Ele!troni! *ntifada !onta!ted %en4a)uen b telep"one# asking "im w" "e is selling propert built on illegall o!!upied land in East Jerusalem and elsew"ere in t"e $est %ank&* don+t know w"at illegall o!!upied is#7 "e said& 5* deal wit" Jerusalem& *+m not sure w"at ou mean b East Jerusalem&7Asked if "e was familiar wit" t"e =ourt" ;ene(a -on(ention# %en4a)uen replied 5*+m not getting into politi!s7 before "anging up&His !olleague Hillel $eins!"neider# meanw"ile# sas on a RE/MAX website t"at "is 5area of e6pertise7 is Ramat Es"kol and ;i(at Hami(tar&%ot" of t"ose settlements are in o!!upied East Jerusalem# w"i!" *srael !laims to "a(e anne6ed in dire!t (iolation of U2 Se!urit -oun!il resolutions&High pricesS!ores of properties in t"e o!!upied $est %ank :in!luding East Jerusalem< are !urrentl listed as for sale on RE/MAX websites&Some of t"em are on t"e market for "ig" pri!es& RE/MAX is tring to sell a t"ree-bedroom "ouse in Jerusalem+s >ld -it for ?.&@ million& A!!ording to RE/MAX# t"e "ouse was 5built o(er A// ears ago b t"e ,urks&7A (ideo for t"e same propert posted to 8ou,ube b %en4a)uen# states t"at t"e 5lig"t train is Bust nearb&7 ,"at is a referen!e to a tram network w"i!" !onne!ts *srael+s settlements in East Jerusalem to ot"er parts of t"e !it&,"e =ren!" !orporation Ceolia "as fa!ed ears of !riti!ism and a!ti(ist !ampaigns for its large-s!ale in(ol(ement in building t"e Jerusalem lig"t rail# w"i!" Palestinians see as a means of tig"tening *srael+s grip on t"eir !it&RE/MAX+s -olorado "ead)uarters did not repl to re)uests for !omment&Illegal,"e firm "as generall kept silent w"en its a!ti(ities "a(e been "ig"lig"ted b Palestine solidarit a!ti(ists& *t did# "owe(er# issue a terse statement last ear&,"e statement tried to distan!e t"e firm+s "ead)uarters from its *sraeli fran!"ise and noted t"at RE/MAX "ad redu!ed t"e number of its offi!es in t"e $est %ank&*t failed to a!knowledge t"at man of t"e agents "andling propert in East Jerusalem and t"e wider $est %ank are working from offi!es in $est Jerusalem&%ut t"e !ompan seems to be sensiti(e to a!ti(ist !riti!ism t"at it is in(ol(ed in selling "omes in illegal settlements wit"in t"e *sraeli-o!!upied $est %ank&Sear!"es on t"e RE/MAX *srael website suggest t"e !ompan ma be engaging in deliberate obfus!ation of its $est %ank settlement listings&An intera!ti(e map of present-da *srael and t"e o!!upied $est %ank displas red dotss"owing w"ere RE/MAX-marketed properties are lo!ated& ,"is map !on(es t"e impression t"at it does little or no business in t"e $est %ank&Howe(er# if one sear!"es for t"e names of indi(idual $est %ank settlements# t"e true stor be!omes !lear&=or instan!e# a sear!" for 5Ariel7 results in a listing of .0 properties in t"at settlement in t"e nort"ern o!!upied $est %ank near 2ablus& Howe(er# swit!" t"roug" to t"e 5map (iew7 of t"e same sear!" result# and t"e red dots o(er Ariel "a(e been remo(ed&Similar obfus!ation is e(ident w"ile sear!"ing for properties in t"e settlements of Maale" Adumim# ;ilo and=ren!" Hill&,"e map is a ke online marketing tool for RE/MAX *srael& ,"ose w"o sear!" for a propert "andled b RE/MAX *srael are immediatel taken to t"is map&RE/MAX still "as agents based in Maale" Adumim# one of *srael+s largest settlements in t"e $est %ank&,"e anti-war group -odepink "as set up a !ampaign targeting RE/MAX o(er its propert sales in *sraeli settlements&Jodie E(ans# a founder of -odepink# argued t"at it was dis"onest for RE/MAX to !laimt"at its *sraeli fran!"ise was un!onne!ted to t"e -olorado "ead)uarters&%ernard Raskin# dire!tor of RE/MAX *srael# attended t"e parent !ompan+s annual !on(ention in Das Cegasduring Mar!"&Raskin was fa!ed b protesters but "e 5was not ba!king down and stood "is ground t"eentire time we were in Cegas#7 said E(ans&$e !an also sa t"e lied in tring to distan!e t"emsel(es# be!ause "e "ad a "uge presen!e and maBor influen!e in Cegas#7 E(ans added& 5He was bossing t"e "otel se!urit around&7Additional reporting b 3a(id -ronin&%en 2orton is a freelan!e Bournalist and writer based in 2ew 8ork -it& His work "as been featured in a (ariet of publi!ations& $ebsiteE %en2orton&!om& ,witterE F%enBamin2orton&Posted b ,"a(am