Airbnb to Remove “Israeli” WB Settlements Listings from Website

Local Editor

Airbnb announced that it is removing listings of rentals in “Israeli” occupation settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying they are "at the core of the dispute between “Israelis” and Palestinians."

In a press release issued Monday, the privately held global company that operates an online marketplace and hospitality service said the decision would affect some 200 Airbnb listings.

"We are most certainly not the experts when it comes to the historical disputes in this region. Our team has wrestled with this issue and we have struggled to come up with the right approach," the statement said.

"We concluded that we should remove listings in “Israeli” settlements in the occupied West Bank that are at the core of the dispute between “Israelis” and Palestinians."

Airbnb, however, did not say when the listings would be removed.

PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat called the decision to remove the listings "an initial positive step".

“‘Israeli’ settlements are not just an obstacle to peace but defy the very definition of peace.”

Palestinian leaders had called on Airbnb to remove the listings in Zionist settlements nearly three years ago, saying in a letter to the company that "Airbnb is effectively promoting the illegal colonization of occupied land."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team