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Article

14 Dec 2018

Author:
Biz Carson, Forbes (USA)

Airbnb faces lawsuits in the US over alleged discrimination after decison to stop listing rentals in Occupied Palestine Territories

"Airbnb Boycotted And Sued For Discrimination Following Israel Settlement Ban", 11 Dec 2018

Airbnb’s decision to remove 200 listings from Israeli settlements in the West Bank is [fiercly criticized]…

Several U.S. states are…researching whether the…company has broken state laws by prohibiting the listings, some U.S. cities are calling for a boycott [and] Airbnb faces multiple lawsuits over alleged discrimination… 

It's not the first time Airbnb stripped rental offerings because of a political dispute: The company removed approximately 4,000 listings in Crimea in 2014. But that move followed U.S. and international sanctions after Russia annexed the region from Ukraine…

[Despite Palestinians and the United Nations considering the settlements unlawful,] there are no U.S. sanctions against the Israeli…in the West Bank.... 

[Airbnb] spent at least two years in dialogue with the Human Rights Watch and other experts to make the November 19 decision, which preceded a 65-page report from Human Rights Watch called “Bed and Breakfast On Stolen Land.”…

Palestinian leaders cheered the decision [and]…six Jewish organizations…supported Airbnb, writing to the Israeli government in a joint letter to condemn the government’s criticism of the move as anti-Semitic

Airbnb has said that it does not align with the BDS (Boycott, Divest or Sanction) movement, which promotes different forms of boycotting to pressure Israel…

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said in a Forbes’ October 2018 cover story : “Before, it was really about financial metrics, and I think now companies are realizing we have a greater responsibility to society to make sure life is great.”

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