Airbnb removes listings for Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank

The online rental company Airbnb has removed all its listings from Israel settlements in the occupied West Bank, BBC News reported.



The company said settlements were at “the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians". In the past, Airbnb has been criticised by activists for allowing such listings and Palestinians have welcomed the move and Israel has called it “shameful”.

A statement from the company reads: “US law permits companies like Airbnb to engage in business in these territories. At the same time, 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."

Under international law, Israeli settlements on the West Bank are illegal.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation’s (PLO) secretary-general has said it is "crucial for Airbnb to follow the position of international law that Israel is the occupying power and that Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal and constitute war crimes".



Israel’s tourism minister has said the country will support lawsuits against Airbnb by those Israelis whose listings have been removed. The Yesha Council, which represents Israeli settlers said the decision “was the result of either anti-Semitism or capitulation to terrorism or both.” Human Rights Watch has called it “a breakthrough”.

This article originally appeared on BBC News.