Protesters face off in Montreal over controversial presentation for land sale in Israel, West Bank

There was another protest in Montreal by pro-Palestinian supporters who condemned a real estate presentation Tuesday evening for Canadians to buy land in Israel and in the West Bank.

For hours, the two sides tried to drown each other out on the street. At issue was a real estate fair inside The Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue in Côte-des-Neiges. The event was billed as an opportunity to own a piece of the Holy Land but among the areas listed with properties for sale are three settlements in the occupied West Bank. 

Permanent Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, which Israel disputes. The Government of Canada does not recognize the settlements and calls them a major obstacle to peace.

"It is absolutely shameful that a house of worship is being used for this kind of illegal real estate tour, which is why we really tried to have it cancelled and to really ask the synagogue to be a leader," said Sarah Boivin, a member of Independent Jewish Voices.

The event was not actually hosted by the synagogue itself. A group of real estate companies rented the space for their event.

"It is not for us to curate the content of the people. I don't tell the Bar Mitzvah parties what songs to play," said Joshua Ellis, the rabbi at the synagogue.

Protesters wave Palestinian and Israeli flags as they face off during a protest in Montreal on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (CTV News)

On the protest, he called the event a pretext to protest Jews.

"The controversy is about the fact that it is Israel, that fact that there are Jews living in Israel," he said.

The standoff comes just one day after protesters clashed outside the Federation CJA building, just blocks from the synagogue. There, pro-Palestinian protesters blocked access to the building where three Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reservists were giving a talk about diplomacy.

The protest at one point turned violent. Montreal police said two men, aged 20 and 32, were arrested for alleged assault and released on a promise to appear in court at a later date. The victims suffered minor injuries and were not sent to hospital, said police spokesperson Jeanne Drouin.

"We don't want to find that our houses of worship are open to demonstrations on a daily basis," said Yair Szlak, the president of Federation CJA

But the protesters say that's not what they're doing.

"This is the first time, I believe, that we have been in front of a synagogue," one of them told CTV News.

Boivin, of Independent Jewish Voices, said, "It's a controversial event because they're selling stolen lands to illegal, internationally recognized illegal Israeli settlements. So I wish that the synagogue would have canceled the event."

Both groups of protesters were gone by about 8:30 p.m. Police say there were no major incidents but one person was arrested for uttering threats.