According to a new report published by Human Rights Watch, the prevailing Israeli military rules mean that the Palestinians still don’t have equal civil rights compared to Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
Read the full story on The Guardian:
Link to the Human Rights Watch report:
Palestinian campaigners call for mass boycott of Airbnb today, on Wednesday the 15th of May, which is the 71st anniversary of the Nakba. Airbnb was supposed to refuse listing of rentals in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, but Airbnb has reversed their decision. (1, 2) The amount of illegal settlements has risen significantly during Trump’s presidency and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is even going to name one Jewish settlement in the disputed Golan Heights after Trump. (3, 4)
I am a lifestyle traveler and I have used Airbnb – and other hospitality companies – frequently. As an avid supporter of two-state solution and Palestinian rights I was happy to learn that Airbnb had decided to remove listings that are in illegal Israeli settlements. The fact that Airbnb has reversed their decision is very disappointing. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other organizations have condemned companies such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor because they have accepted listings from illegal Israeli settlements. (1, 2) Amnesty International mentioned those four companies in their report:
“In doing business with settlements, all four companies are contributing to, and profiting from, the maintenance, development and expansion of illegal settlements, which amount to war crimes under international criminal law.” (2)
I am probably not the only small income traveler who has this great dilemma: how to find affordable accommodation while traveling without compromising the things that are important to me? How many hospitality companies will have courage to support two-state solution and Palestinian rights?
References:
1) “Palestinian campaigners call for mass boycott of Airbnb on May 15” Al Jazeera 14.5.2019
2) “Airbnb to allow listings from illegal Israeli settlements” Al Jazeera 10.4.2019
3) “Trump era boosted illegal Israeli settlement building, report reveals” Daily Sabah 14.5.2019
4) “Netanyahu Seeks to Name a Golan Heights Settlement for President Trump” New York Times 23.4.2019
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/world/middleeast/netanyahu-golan-heights-trump.html
IDIS Observer 