Travel trade show features agency linked to 320-unit settlement plan

The Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA) will maintain a presence at World Travel Market London, a major industry gathering for the global travel sector.

The event is scheduled to run from 3 to 5 November. The JDA, a statutory body of the Israeli government and the Jerusalem municipality, operates the iTravelJerusalem tourism arm. This entity manages tourism initiatives in occupied East Jerusalem.

The JDA is one of several organizations sharing a stand operated by the Israeli government's tourist office. The WTM London website lists the stand as a shared space for numerous Israeli companies and organizations. This setup includes the Africa Israel Group, which has participated in settlement projects in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The JDA's role extends beyond tourism marketing. It oversees development projects across Jerusalem that intersect with occupied Palestinian territory. A 2025 report from the Office of the European Union Representative for the West Bank and Gaza Strip detailed JDA plans for the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. The agency proposed evicting the Umm Haroun compound, home to approximately 40 Palestinian families, to construct a 320-unit settlement.

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement has previously criticized the JDA for expropriating land in occupied East Jerusalem. In 2020, the group stated that the JDA developed areas designated as Biblical parks, displacing hundreds of Palestinians or placing them at risk of removal. The BDS movement noted that these actions violated the Geneva Conventions and contributed to the expansion of settlements in areas such as Gilo.

Recent developments in the UK have increased scrutiny on such commercial links. Last month, the British government formally recognized Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory as illegal. In September, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband addressed parliament regarding previous advertising disputes. He stated that the UK would ban the advertising of illegal settlements in the country to prevent similar occurrences to the Great Israeli Real Estate Event held in London in June.

The JDA is also associated with the controversial Mamilla Pool renovation in Jerusalem's old city. Critics argue this project threatens a centuries-old Palestinian Muslim cemetery. Additionally, the agency is promoting a cable car project in Jerusalem, which was approved by the Israeli government in 2020. This scheme involves uprooting trees and displacing water, sewage, and telecommunications infrastructure. Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh described the project as a threat to Palestinian communities and an effort to reshape the city's cultural landscape.

In 2010, the UK advertising regulator banned an Israeli tourist press office campaign. The regulator determined that the ad implied East Jerusalem was part of the state of Israel. The body cited the international dispute over the status of the occupied West Bank territory as the reason for the ban. WTM London did not respond to a request for comment regarding the JDA's participation before the publication date.

The WTM London website describes the event as a venue where travel professionals connect and build partnerships. It positions the gathering as a central hub for the international leisure travel industry. The JDA's inclusion in the event's lineup places a government agency with active settlement development mandates alongside commercial tourism operators.