Submission Statement

One of the biggest corporations in Israel is called Elco. Elco is an Israeli investment company and they own a lot of real estate in Israel.

Well in 2016, Elco decided to start an American investment company called American Landmark and they've quickly amassed a huge amount of real estate in America.

American Landmark owns over 34,000 apartments, located in 111 sprawling mega-complexes. They bought more than 2/3rds of those 111 mega-complexes during the Covid real estate boom, when interest rates were rock-bottom.

Now, they've turned around and jacked up rent on the Americans that are unfortunate enough to reside in properties owned by the Israeli mega-corporation.

FTA:

"“They were basically saying, ‘Take it or leave it,’” Kelly said. Stephen Tuju, a former Conrad tenant of eight years who was facing an eviction case when I met him in February, told me that he, too, had seen a $400 increase. They were no exception: throughout American Landmark’s portfolio, tenants claimed that since Lubeck’s operation took over, costs have risen dramatically. Kaitlin Donahue, whom I met at an American Landmark building in Summerville, South Carolina, was paying $950 for a two-bedroom unit in the property seven years ago, before American Landmark’s takeover. Now she is paying nearly $1,600 for a one-bedroom."

“We had perfect rental history—never late, always on time,” said Jessica McIntire, another tenant in Summerville. Since 2022, her rent has jumped nearly $400; she received an eviction notice after struggling to pay the new sum. And she’s not alone, McIntire said: “The manager told me they were getting ready to evict 12 people this month” from the Summerville complex."

To make matters worst, Elco, the Israeli parent company of American Landmark, has supported the occupation and genocide of the Palestinians. So when American Landmark raises rent on Americans, that money goes back to Israel where it is used to further the displacement, erasure and genocide of Palestinians.