As Israel deploys tanks in the West Bank for the first time in 20 years, we reveal how two of the world’s biggest travel companies are helping settlers commercialise stolen land

The villa is stunning. The private swimming pool; the lush, landscaped terrace with firepit; the long dining table with its expansive balcony view; the pingpong table; the piano. But the jewel in the crown, according to the Airbnb listing, is the experience of watching the sun rise over the nearby mountains from the luxury of the generous master bedroom.

The villa with views of the Judean mountains is in a settlement located on land seized from Palestinians and considered illegal under international humanitarian law. Only a handful of Palestinians are allowed to enter this, and other, Israeli settlements in the West Bank, usually as labourers with special permits.

Exclusive analysis carried out by the Guardian found 760 rooms being advertised in hotels, apartments and other holiday rentals in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, on two of the world’s most popular tourism websites.

  • NoneOfUrBusiness
    7•1 day ago

    then shouldn’t we be boycotting these platforms until they are out of non-native USA and Canada?

    I mean if Native Americans launch a credible land return movement and ask for it then sure yeah. Right now that’s not the frontline of the Native rights movement, so you’ll need to find another whatabout (whataboutist???) argument.

    • @gedaliyahEnglish
      -3•1 day ago

      Not every comparison is whataboutism. This looks like more “Israel Bad” virtue signaling than it does helping Palestinians.

      I do think maybe it’s a good idea to think about how we treat similar situations before we decide that a company should not do business with a particular ethnicity in an area.

      • @[email protected]English
        2•9 hours ago

        I do think maybe it’s a good idea to think about how we treat similar situations before we decide that a company should not do business with a particular ethnicity in an area.

        Right wing (but not far-right) genocide defenders speak in vagueries because what they say is not compatible with the truth. It is pathetic.

      • NoneOfUrBusiness
        8•1 day ago

        Not every comparison is whataboutism.

        This particular comparison is one Zionists love to make to discredit the Palestinian cause, though, so I tend to view it with suspicion. That said, with the assumption that you’re talking in good faith I’ll try to address your point.

        This looks like more “Israel Bad” virtue signaling than it does helping Palestinians.

        Boycotting settlements is one way to either strongarm the Israeli government into not expanding settlements (which make no mistake are built with their blessing) or disincentivise their expansion by making it economically disadvantageous. To quote the article:

        Critics say that doing business in these areas normalises and provides revenue for these settlements. Support which has landed Airbnb on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement’s list of international companies complicit with Israeli violations of Palestinian rights.

        Another quote:

        Sari Bashi, programme director at Human Rights Watch, said that, in allowing properties in Israeli settlements to be listed on their sites, “Airbnb and Booking.com are contributing to land grabs, crippling movement restrictions and even the forced displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, abuses that Israeli authorities commit in order to maintain oppression and domination over Palestinians as part of the crime against humanity of apartheid”.

        This isn’t virtue signaling; it’s one of the few things someone in a Western country can do to help the Palestinian cause without getting into direct action. And how do you know it works? Because Zionists fucking hate it.

        Like I said before, if a large number of Native Americans launched a credible campaign (as in one with specific, achievable goals like “we want X land for Y reservation”), they’d also be well within their rights to call for a boycott on that land until their demands are fulfilled and at least I personally would support that boycott. The logic in your comparison works, but not in the way you’re implying.

        Edit: Aaand no reply.

        • @KeeponstalinEnglish
          4•1 day ago

          For anyone wondering, yes the BDS Movement is having an impact. If anyone wants to join, the No Thanks App (created by a Palestinian developer) Apple / Android makes it as easy as a quick search or barcode scan

          Affirming the role the BDS movement has played in the Israeli economy’s “spiral of collapse,” as 130 leading Israeli economists describe it, in September, the Chairman of the Israeli Export Institute said: “BDS and boycotts have changed Israel’s global trade landscape.” He added, “Economic boycotts and BDS organizations present major challenges, and in some countries, we are forced to operate under the radar.” Israel’s projected annual GDP growth rate for 2024 is 0%, according to leading credit rating agency S&P, and some 60,000 Israeli businesses are projected to have shut down during this year of ongoing genocide.

          https://bdsmovement.net/Indicators-BDS-Global-Impact-July-December-2024