Why should tourists be able rent bed and breakfasts in the West Bank when Palestinian families can’t return to their own homes?
Answer: they shouldn’t. But Booking.com hasn’t gotten the message. While the Israeli government is rapidly expanding into illegal settlements in Palestine, Booking.com sees profits in the rubble of these stolen homes.
After years of advocacy and over 150,000 petition signatures, together with partners like CODEPINK and American Muslims for Palestine we pushed Airbnb to stop listing vacation rentals in Israeli settlements deemed illegal under international law.
Airbnb’s decision could set a new standard for online booking companies to refuse to profit from illegal Israeli settlements. But it’s up to us to shift our focus to Booking.com, one of Airbnb’s biggest competitors. Together, we can make sure our Airbnb win has a domino effect across the industry.
Tell Booking.com to stop listing rentals located in illegal Israeli settlements.
At least 48,000 Palestinian buildings have been demolished to build homes where only Jewish Israelis are allowed to live—and now some of them are listed on Booking.com. And every time a tourist books a visit to these settlements deemed illegal by the UN Security Council, Booking.com takes a cut.
But Booking.com has over 28 million listings in 229 countries across the globe. Ditching a few dozen rental listings on stolen land won’t make or break its profit margin, but it will send a strong message to companies still profiting from human rights abuses in Palestine.
Through years of advocacy and protests across the globe, together we pushed Airbnb to do the right thing. Now, we have the chance to build big off of this victory and make sure Booking.com stops profiting from listings located in illegal Israeli settlements.
Call on Booking.com to follow Airbnb’s lead and remove all listings built on stolen Palestinian land.
More information
West Bank: Bed and Breakfast on Stolen Land
Human Rights Watch. 20 November 2018.
Human Rights Watch. 20 November 2018.
