The decision by the online rental giant Airbnb to remove its listings in the West Bank settlements puts the company in the forefront of major US companies that are feeling international pressure to stop legitimizing and profiting from Israel's occupation. The major question now is whether other tech giants will follow suit.
In its Nov. 19 announcement, Airbnb said that despite the fact that US law allows for business as usual in Israeli settlements, “We must consider the impact we have and act responsibly.”
After listing a five-point framework for evaluating what to do on a case-by-case situation, the rental giant concluded, “We should remove listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank that are at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.”
What Airbnb didn't say was that its announcement came on the eve of the publication by Human Rights Watch of a 65-page investigation titled “Bed and Breakfast on Stolen Land.” The report gave detailed documentation of homes listed by Airbnb and Booking.com that are built on confiscated private Palestinian land.
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