A group of British anti‑war activists gathered outside the Israeli pavilion at the World Travel Market in London on Tuesday, turning the tourism expo into a protest stage against what they call crimes committed by the Zionist regime in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The protest was organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which says that the Israeli pavilion is promoting tourism to areas that the British government has said it will not support. The campaign sent a message to Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, asking him to clarify whether he will keep his promise to ban the promotion of illegal Israeli settlements in the United Kingdom.
Participants chanted slogans and held signs calling the regime’s activities “brutal crimes against oppressed Palestinians.” They also warned the British government that the presence of Israeli settlement enterprises at the expo raises concerns for human rights activists and Members of Parliament.
According to the campaign’s statement, the British government previously pledged to stop promoting tourism in those territories. The protest aims to remind policymakers and the public that the promises have not yet been implemented and that the expo’s marketing still targets the occupied areas.
Although the EU and other international actors have debated the issue, the protest marked the first time the expo became a focal point for a real‑time call for policy enforcement in the UK. The event has drawn attention to the ongoing debate about the role of tourism in legitimizing occupation and the responsibility of host countries to enforce bans on settlement promotion.
The World Travel Market organizers released a brief statement saying they were not aware of any sale of land or promotion of illegal settlements. They emphasized that the event remains focused on legitimate tourism businesses within legal boundaries.
