Palestinians were baffled as to how Airbnb featured rooms for rent in settlements as West Bank listings within Israel. According to Palestinian authorities, these credited for illegal advertising since Israeli settlements within Palestinian territory were not of Israeli property.
Husam Zomlot, the ambassador for the Palestinian government, urged Airbnb, a travel company, to observe an instantaneous change in policy with regards to their listings. "Certainly we will take further action. This is strikingly illegal," Zomlot said to the AFP. In fact, he alleged that the company was illegally profiting from the occupation, Yahoo Singapore reports.
"Such acts by international firms and the private sector have been the main contributor to the community and escalation of the situation. We follow laws and regulations on where we can do business and investigate concerns raised about specific listings," he added.
A spokeswoman of the Israeli tourism ministry responded to Zomlot's accusations and said, "The ministry recommends visiting and staying in every place throughout the country as no distinction can be made between one place or the next."
Despite the ambiguous situation as to whether which properties warranted a distinction between Palestine and Israeli territories, the company was said to have been given the option to remove deceptive and erroneous details featured in their listings.
At present, reports indicate that Palestinians have moved or has planned to observe an aggressive global boycott movement against Airbnb for it dangerous Israel's settlement initiative, reports New York Times.
Accordingly, a senior Palestinian official, Saeb Erekat, sent a formal letter to Airbnb's CEO last week which ordered the company to stop extending their settlement services to those who acquire rentals within the said area.
Zomlot also stated, "Any international company like Airbnb that profits from the occupation and from our blood must be held accountable and brought to justice."
The issue initially surfaced when a Human Rights Watch reporter released a complaint regarding companies that operated in settlements within the area which they, at the same time, profit from. In fact, the complaint comprised a statement which referred to the activity as an inherently unlawful and abusive system that violates the rights of Palestinians."
Israel was able to take over the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem's east during the 1967 war. Since then, the state has been initiating settlements. When Israel removed its claim on Gaza last 2006, settlements that arose from the West Bank skyrocketed.
