Challenging Airbnb's West Bank Delisting
"[The BDS movement] is not interested in peace or a better future for the Palestinians, but rather in demonizing and discriminating against Israel, the one true democracy, and America’s strongest ally in the Middle East."Airbnb has explained where the rationale for its delisting policy of rental properties located in West Bank Israeli settlements emanated from, following an indignant flurry of responses to its announcement that it has decided to remove all listings from its accounts for Israeli settlements. A move that will clearly have an impact on those property owners who have listed with the globally popular Airbnb rental agency. The decision is one of deep mendacious hostility and is clearly libelous as well as certain to have a related response in delegitimizing Israel.
"[The new Airbnb company policy is] especially disturbing when one understands that it is a policy directed only toward Israel. Such a policy has not been applied by the company to any other country or region involved in a national dispute or conflict."
"This constitutes [one hopes unintentionally] the modern form of an anti-Semitic practice which applies a double standard to Israel in a way that is not expected or demanded of any other country."
"[I would urge you to] consider speaking out against the company’s decision, and taking any other relevant steps, including in relation to commercial dealings [between Airbnb and their states]."
Gilad Erdan, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister, letter to governors of Illinois, New York, Florida, Missouri, California: Airbnb bases
"An American Jew with a rental property in the West Bank is barred from listing it for rent on the website. But an American Arab is welcome to list his home a few hundred metres away, even though the Palestinian law forbidding real-estate deals with Jews carries a maximum penalty of death."
"That openly racist policy doesn't trigger Airbnb's delisting policy."
Eugene Kontorovich, Kohelet Forum legal expert
"The City of Beverly Hills hereby calls upon Airbnb to correct this act of disrespect to the land of Israel and restore its original services immediately."
"In the event that Airbnb does not stop [the blacklisting of Israeli homes], we call upon all civilized people across the globe to boycott Airbnb until such time as they desist from these despicable anti-Semitic actions."
Beverly Hills California city council declaration
"[Human Rights Watch [HRW] is] a powerful NGO ... [whose] publications reflect the absence of professional standards, research methodologies, and military and legal expertise, as well as a deep-seated ideological bias against Israel."
NGO Monitor, watchdog organization
As such it represents a classic BDS ploy thinly disguised as humanitarian discrimination to hide its obvious anti-Semitic origins. It seems highly unlikely that property owners on the Turkish half of Cypress or ethnic Russian property owners in Crimea have much to worry about from Airbnb. Disputed Kashmir, occupied Tibet and the separatist portions of Georgia are not cringing in fear that they too will be distinguished by Airbnb withdrawing their recognition of legitimacy. Under the Airbnb aegis those disputed territories can continue flaunting their rentals.
Israel, however, represents the world's ultimate nation whose 'occupation' of its heritage geography is representative of a heinous crime against a population that migrated to it out of surrounding Arab territory to improve their lives in an area where Jews had a finer standard of stewardship and where the two communities -- Jews and Arabs -- are contestants in a land historically settled and treasured by Israelites from the past to the present. Israel is distinguished as a country that in asserting its heritage commits a criminal act, a charge and its consequences faced by no other nation.
"We know that people will disagree with this decision and appreciate their perspective. This is a controversial issue", agreed Airbnb. Which had decided on its blacklisting of the 200 Jewish homes in West Bank communities in consultation with Human Rights Watch. A group which was launched originally for a definite purpose and whose work was instrumental in furthering awareness of fundamental human rights, but which has since been repurposed as a hypocritical fountain of Israel-bashing on the international stage.
Airbnb has monumental influence among its 150 million app and website users, its 15 million Facebook followers and among the 590,000 who joined its community forum. While the company states that its boycott of certain Jewish Israelis will have the effect of advancing peace in the Middle East, there are no counterbalancing initiatives in recognition that peace requires partnerships and there are no partners to pledge alongside Israel for peace in the Middle East. Yet their half-baked statement will resonate with their gullible followers.
There are lawsuits pending against Airbnb, from among its U.S. Jewish compatriots claiming that Airbnb has erred under the U.S. Constitution. Israel has mounted a self-defence and has reached out to its friends for support in persuading the rental agency to recant. Just as private clubs and universities refused to permit Jewish entrants in the past, spurring Jews to build their own hospitals, clubs and universities that then became the envy of their non-Jewish counterparts for their quality innovation, perhaps it's time for Jews to challenge Airbnb by launching their own similar service with global outreach.
Labels: Airbnb, Israel, Legal Action, West Bank
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, November 29, 2018
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