The Intercept | Murtaza Hussain

ISRAEL’S COLONIZATION OF Palestinian territory in the occupied West Bank is widely recognized as a moral, legal, and political disaster for the peoples of the Middle East. Despite this, becoming a colonist in an Israeli settlement is relatively easy. In fact, it’s as easy as logging on to the websiteof the country’s local RE/MAX franchise and checking out the abundant housing listings in illegal colonies like Ariel, Ma’aleh Adumim, and Givat Ze’ev.

Last month, Human Rights Watch released a report on corporations profiting from the military occupation of the West Bank. The sole American corporation identified in the report was RE/MAX, the Colorado-based real estate company whose name is synonymous with home buying in the United States. As noted in the report, titled “Occupation, Inc.,” as of November 2015 RE/MAX offered 80 properties for sale in 18 different settlements, with a combined value approaching $36,250,000.

Screen grab of property listings in the occupied West Bank.

Photo: RE/MAX

RE/MAX did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Intercept. In 2014, following criticism of its settlement listings from the left-wing activist group CODEPINK, RE/MAX released a statement claiming that it was not responsible for the actions of its Israeli franchisee, having sold its brand rights to Israeli businessman Bernard Raskin in 1995. But, according to Human Rights Watch, RE/MAX still earns financial benefits from its Israeli franchise operations in the form of broker fees, revenue, and annual dues. The company also maintains control of its brand name and promotional materials. It could potentially withdraw these privileges from any franchise that acts in contravention to company policies.

“RE/MAX has said that it does not control its Israeli franchise and therefore isn’t responsible for its actions, but local franchises can only operate subject to a franchise agreement with the company,” says Sari Bashi, Israel/Palestine director for Human Rights Watch. “Any such agreement must require franchises using the RE/MAX name to perform due diligence, ensuring that their business activity does not contribute to or benefit from serious violations of human rights or international law.”

The Israeli RE/MAX website lists properties only in Hebrew and English, excluding Arabic language listings despite the fact that roughly 20 percent of the Israeli population is of Arab background. One unnamed Israeli real state agent who spoke with Human Rights Watch investigators reportedly told them, “I don’t buy from or sell to Arabs. It’s not racism, I just prefer not to deal with [them],” adding that his relationship with RE/MAX headquarters was simply to share profits. “They can’t make me sell to anyone,” he said.