Airbnb removes Israeli settlement listings

JERUSALEM: Homerental company Airbnb has announced it will remove its listings in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The company said yesterday it would take down about 200 listings and cease its operations in Israeli settlements ‘‘that are at the core of the dispute between the Israelis and Palestinians’’.

It was not immediately clear when the removal would take effect.

In response, Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, who oversees Israel’s battle against a Palestinianled boycott movement, called on Airbnb hosts affected by the decision to file lawsuits in accordance with Israel’s antiboycott law.

Tourism Minister Yariv Levin slammed the decision and ordered his office to restrict the company’s activity throughout the country. He also instructed the ministry to increase its tourism programmes in West Bank settlements.

The company had previously defended its operations in the occupied West Bank, saying they were in accordance with US law and its own mission ‘‘to bring people together in as many places as possible around the world’’.

It said it decided to cancel the contentious listings after consulting experts and wrestling with the ethics of doing business in Israeli settlements, which most of the international community views as illegal, including the UN Security Council which says they are a flagrant violation of international law.

Palestinians and human rights groups have long pres sured the company to remove the listings. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the decision came on the eve of its publication of a report into tourist rental listings in settlements.

HRW business and human rights division director Arvind Ganesan, called the move ‘‘an important recognition that such listings can’t square with its human rights responsibilities’’. He urged other companies to follow suit.