Amnesty Urges Digital Tourism Companies to Boycott WB Settlements

Local Editor

Human rights organization Amnesty International on Tuesday called for a boycott of tourism in illegal “Israeli” settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling on digital tourism giants TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb to stop listing accommodations, activities and attractions there.

In a report titled “Destination: Occupation”, the British NGO said that global tourism companies were profiting from “war crimes” by listing services in illegal West Bank settlements and in East al-Quds [Jerusalem].

“They are doing so despite knowing that ‘Israel’s’ occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem [al-Quds], is governed by international humanitarian law under which ‘Israeli’ settlements are deemed illegal,” the report said.

“Israeli” officials immediately condemned the Amnesty report, which came months following a similar publication by Human Rights Watch and in the wake of a controversial decision by Airbnb to remove listings for rental properties in illegal West Bank settlements.

“Israeli” settlements are considered illegal under international law and are seen as major obstacles to peace as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.

Some 430,000 “Israeli” settlers live among 2.6 million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Amnesty said that by promoting listings in close proximity to attractions in disputed territories, digital tourism companies were “normalizing” settlements.

“Many listings in settlements boast of their proximity to areas of natural beauty in the occupied territories, such as the Dead Sea, nature reserves and the desert,” the report said.

“By listing and promoting these natural features and nature-based activities and attractions the digital companies are increasing the attractiveness of the listings, securing greater numbers of tourists and ultimately benefiting financially from the illegal exploitation of Palestinian natural resources,” it added.

There was no immediate response from any of the companies.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team