We are thrilled to report that last week the Presbyterian General Assembly passed a resolution (without opposition!) calling on RE/MAX to stop selling properties in Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land – sales that violate international law and official US policy. In addition to this huge boost for our campaign, RE/MAX CEO Dave Liniger released a statement acknowledging that RE/MAX’s operations in the occupied territories are both legally and morally questionable. Liniger’s statement that RE/MAX will “no longer receive any income from the sale of Jewish-settlement properties in the West Bank” is a sign that our campaign is having an impact. The statement gives us fuel for the fight ahead to pressure RE/MAX to take meaningful action against brokers and realtors in their network who are dealing in settlement properties.
Read CODEPINK’s press release!
This past year CODEPINK held protests outside numerous RE/MAX offices across the US. We disrupted the RE/MAX R4 conference in Las Vegas and attended RE/MAX’s annual shareholder meeting in Denver, protesting both outside and inside the meeting. We have not for a moment given up our demand that RE/MAX end their complicity in Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise.
Now that we have gotten RE/MAX LLC to take this important step, it is important that we keep up the pressure until they fully extricate themselves from Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise. RE/MAX must immediately establish and disseminate clear policies and guidelines for all RE/MAX brokers and agents around the globe that prohibit selling, renting, or publicizing properties that are built on illegally seized land in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem. RE/MAX must also establish that members of the RE/MAX network should not refer clients to brokers and agents who are involved in such illegal properties.
From sending letters to protesting at local RE/MAX offices, conventions, and shareholder meetings, to speaking out on social media (and more!), it has been all of our hard work that has brought RE/MAX to take this tremendous first step. With continued hard work, we can now get RE/MAX to fully end its complicity in Israel's violations of international law and Palestinian human rights.
Towards peace, justice, and full equality for all people.
Alli, Ariel, Nancy K., and the entire CODEPINK team
