Airbnb Boycotts Yesha, Plans To Remove Jewish Listings

The movement to boycott Israel scored a big win with Airbnb announcing the removal of listings in Jewish communities in Yehuda and Shomron. “As a global platform operating in 191 countries and regions, and more than 81,000 cities, we must consider the impact we have and act responsibly,” the company wrote in a November 19 statement. “When we applied our decision-making framework, we concluded that we should remove listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank that are at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.”

The decision follows years of pressure from pro-Palestinian activists seeking to curb the burgeoning tourism industry in lands controlled by Israel that are not recognized by the international community. Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin slammed the boycott of Jewish communities in the territories as “a disgraceful and miserable decision, and a disgraceful surrender by the company.” Together with Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, he vowed to take legal action against Airbnb for participating in BDS, and to restrict its ability to do business in the rest of Israel.

The Yesha Council, a governmental body that represents Jewish communities across the Green Line, noted that Airbnb continues to advertise homes in other politically disputed regions across the world, such as Crimea, Western Sahara, and Northern Cyprus, as well as numerous dictatorships, coming to the conclusion that Israel is being singled out. Listings in Palestinian communities are recognized by the website as “Palestine,” although it not a fully sovereign entity. “National conflicts exist throughout the world and Airbnb will need to explain why they chose a racist political stance against some Israeli citizens,” said Erdan.

As Israel is a nation of start-ups, it isn’t too difficult for supporters of Yesha communities to quickly build an online alternative to Airbnb, VRBO, and Craigslist that will continue to advertise houses, apartments, cottages, and campsites on land that figures prominently in Jewish history.

Those who visit Yehuda and Shomron do so out of conviction and an existing connection to the land. They do not need the approval of a faceless and unaccountable global online portal to validate their support for its Jewish communities.

With the Airbnb boycott in mind, it is as good reason as any to support the 36^th Annual Bet El Institutions Dinner on Sunday, December 2. No other Yesha community has ties as strong to Queens as Bet El, with its top supporter Eugen Gluck and his late wife Jean in Forest Hills, along with this year’s honorees Daniel & Razie Benedict of Kew Gardens, and Yair & Chana Leah Matan of Kew Gardens Hills.

Its mix of houses, apartments, yeshivos, offices, and parks gives it the look of a tight urban center on a once-barren hilltop. Bet El will shortly disappear from Airbnb, but the facts on the ground cannot be denied, and for those interested in visiting, there will always be a way to secure a bed in town.

 By Sergey Kadinsky