Airbnb caves to BDS, removes West Bank settlement listings

Airbnb agreed to boycott West Bank settlements when it removed settler rental listings Monday from its popular website, even though US law does not bar such posts.

Israeli right-wing lawmakers immediately railed against the decision, urging settler home owner to take legal action and threatening to limit the organization’s operations in Israel.

Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan said he planned to speak with senior US officials to see if the move violated American laws against boycotts that exist in 25 out of 50 states.

“National conflicts exist all over the world. The heads of Airbnb will have to explain why they chose to take a racist political stance against some of Israel’s citizens,” Erdan said.

Former Israeli Ambassador to the US MK Michael Oren said, “Airbnb blacklists Jewish apartments in Judea and Samaria – not Palestinian apartments, not apartments in Turkish occupied Cyprus, in Moroccan occupied Sahara, not in Tibet or the Crimea.

“Airbnb’s policy is the very definition of anti-Semitism.  No one should use its services,” Oren added.

PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat welcomed the move, but said the Airbnb statement did not go far enough.

“We reiterate our call upon the UN Human Rights Council to release the database of companies profiting from the Israeli colonial occupation. Israeli settlements are not just an obstacle to peace but defy the very definition of peace,” Erekat said.

Arvind Ganesan, business and human rights director at Human Rights Watch said the move was  “an important recognition that such listings can’t square with its human rights responsibilities. For two years, Human Rights Watch has spoken with Airbnb about their brokering of rentals in West Bank settlements that are illegal under international humanitarian law and for which Palestinian ID holders are effectively barred from entering. We urge other companies to follow suit.”

Airbnb posted a notice about the policy chance on its website, explaining that issue were some 200 listings. It noted that it had wrestled with the pros and cons of the situation before coming to a decision.

“There are conflicting views regarding whether companies should be doing business in the occupied territories that are the subject of historical disputes between Israelis and Palestinians,” the company said.

“Many in the global community have stated that companies should not do business here because they believe companies should not profit on lands where people have been displaced. Others believe that companies should not withdraw business operations from these areas,” Airbnb said.

“We spent considerable time speaking to various experts — including those who have criticized our previous approach — about this matter. As a global platform operating in 191 countries and regions and more than 81,000 cities, we must consider the impact we have and act responsibly,” Airbnb said.

It explained that it had developed a case-by-case framework that it planned to follow in situations of territorial dispute, that included consideration of whether the listing of such properties “contributing to existing human suffering” and had a “direct connection to the larger dispute in the region.”

“We know that people will disagree with this decision and appreciate their perspective. This is a controversial issue. There are many strong views as it relates to lands that have been the subject of historic and intense disputes between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank,” the company said.

“Airbnb has deep respect for those views. Our hope is that someday sooner rather than later, a framework is put in place where the entire global community is aligned so there will be a resolution to this historic conflict and a clear path forward for everybody to follow. As of today, this is an aspirational hope. People of goodwill have been seeking this goal for decades but we continue to hope for a durable, lasting peace,” Airbnb added.Airbnb agreed to boycott West Bank settlements when it removed rental listings on Monday in Judea and Samaria from its popular website, even though US law does not bar such posts.

The company posted a notice about the policy chance on its website, explaining that issue were some 200 listings. It noted that in coming to this decision it has weighed the pros and cons of such a move.

“There are conflicting views regarding whether companies should be doing business in the occupied territories that are the subject of historical disputes between Israelis and Palestinians,” the company said.

“Many in the global community have stated that companies should not do business here because they believe companies should not profit on lands where people have been displaced. Others believe that companies should not withdraw business operations from these areas,” Airbnb said.

“We spent considerable time speaking to various experts — including those who have criticized our previous approach — about this matter. As a global platform operating in 191 countries and regions and more than 81,000 cities, we must consider the impact we have and act responsibly,” Airbnb said.

It explained that it had developed a case-by-case framework that it planned to follow in situations of territorial dispute, that included consideration of whether the listing of such properties “contributing to existing human suffering” and had a “direct connection to the larger dispute in the region.”

“We know that people will disagree with this decision and appreciate their perspective. This is a controversial issue. There are many strong views as it relates to lands that have been the subject of historic and intense disputes between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank,” the company said.

“Airbnb has deep respect for those views. Our hope is that someday sooner rather than later, a framework is put in place where the entire global community is aligned so there will be a resolution to this historic conflict and a clear path forward for everybody to follow. As of today, this is an aspirational hope. People of goodwill have been seeking this goal for decades but we continue to hope for a durable, lasting peace,” Airbnb added.

Legal expert Eugene Kontorovich said, “This is not about disputed territories, as AirBnB has listings in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara, Turkish-occupied Cyprus, and more. So it is only Jewish properties in the Jewish homeland that are banned.” Kontorovich is Director of International Law at the Jerusalem-based Kohelet Policy Forum.

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