Anyone looking for accommodation in the West Bank has so far also found their way to Jewish settlements near Åirbnb. These approximately 200 offers in Israeli-occupied areas of Palestine will sweep the US company in the coming days.
"We have decided to remove the offers in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are at the center of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians," Airbnb said. Many of the Israelis in the settlements cited Airbnb as "Israel" as their place of residence - although the West Bank together with the Gaza Strip is the Palestinian Authority.
The room broker is because of this offer for years in the criticism. "US law allows companies like Airbnb to operate in these areas," the company said. However, many believe that "companies should not earn money there where people were displaced, and others believe that companies should not divest their businesses from those regions."
For Oded Revivi, mayor of the Jewish settlement of Efrat and representative of the Yesha Settlers Association, the decision of the platform is contrary to the motto of the website: Airbnb is helping to "bring people together in as many places around the world as possible". Thus, the company would engage in politics, which is contrary to the actual purpose, said Revivi to Reuters.
According to Reuters, the Israeli government and the Palestinian authorities have not yet issued any comments. The West Bank is home to some 500,000 Israelis and more than 2.6 million Palestinians.