Airbnb is listing properties for rent in Israeli settlements that violate international law and occupy Palestinian land illegally. While Airbnb officially states it does not tolerate discrimination, Palestinians would not be able to live in these settlements and it is likely that they would not be able to rent these properties.
Airbnb also need a lesson in geography. A search for Airbnb properties in the Palestinian Territories turns up rentals in the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Nablus, properties in settlements such as Efrat, Ma’ale Rehavam and Tekoa are listed as being in Israel. Other rentals listed on the Airbnb website as being located in Israel are in Kfar Eldad, Nokdim, Ma’ale Adumim, Nofei Prat and Keidar. These are settlements beyond the green line and the territory is disputed — it is land that has been taken from Palestinians.
Those Jewish settlements are beyond “the green line” — the border defined in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between the armies of Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria after the 1948 war. Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory are generally viewed as illegal by the international community and have long been seen as a major roadblock to a viable Palestinian state.
Tell Airbnb to remove these properties from its listings now.