A pro-Palestinian Arab organization has launched legal proceedings in France seeking to prevent an Israeli real estate exhibition from taking place in Paris, alleging that the event promotes property purchases in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, AFP reported Thursday.
The Franco-Palestinian association NIDAL filed an emergency petition challenging the ninth Icube real estate and investment fair, scheduled for Sunday at the European Center for Judaism in the French capital.
According to the report, the organization argues that the exhibition violates human rights and has asked the court to instruct the Paris police chief to prohibit the event entirely.
Alternatively, the group is seeking an order preventing exhibitors from marketing or selling properties in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem.
NIDAL said it had previously contacted Paris police on November 5 to request intervention but received no response, prompting the legal action.
In its petition, reviewed by AFP, the organization claimed that promoting what it described as "Israeli settlements in the occupied territories" contributes to the displacement and replacement of Palestinian Arabs through population transfers.
The activists specifically identified BH Nadlan, an Israeli real estate company advertising apartments in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem on its website.
They also cited the exhibition's official guide, which reportedly advertises a “significant" financial “bonus" for new residents who move to Judea and Samaria.
The legal challenge comes amid growing diplomatic friction between Israel and France, including disputes over restrictions on the entry of political figures.
On Wednesday, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan was refused entry to France, where he had planned to meet with several elected officials.
Dagan was stopped at passport control and taken for questioning, during which French immigration authorities informed him that he would not be permitted to enter the country.
A separate dispute emerged Thursday when French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Israel had barred senior representatives of the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) party from entering the Jewish state.
Founded by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, LFI and several of its leading members have faced accusations of antisemitism over their statements concerning Israel and the Jewish community.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar subsequently confirmed that Mélenchon and Mathilde Panot, the head of LFI's parliamentary group, had been denied entry to Israel.
Explaining the decision in a social media post, Sa'ar wrote, "In light of the extreme anti-Israel policies of the La France Insoumise (LFI) party and the outrageous statements made by its leaders, including blood libels against Israel spread by party leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the head of its parliamentary group, Mathilde Panot, as well as Mélenchon's call to deploy French ships to escort the illegal flotillas to Gaza, I have decided to bar Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Mathilde Panot from entering Israel."
Sa'ar added, "Israel will respond firmly to anyone who seeks to harm it and will not permit entry to those who act against and incite against Israel and its citizens."