Airbnb faced an intensive multi-year attack and threats of being included in the
forthcoming UN HRC “blacklist,” boycotts, and other forms of negative publicity. Indeed, the company
acknowledged that offering listings in West Bank “settlements” was not illegal, meaning that its decision was the result of political pressure.
The company provided five vague criteria used in the process of making this decision:
“1. Recognize that each situation is unique and requires a case-by-case approach.
2. Consult with a range of experts and our community of stakeholders.
3. Assess any potential safety risks for our hosts and guests.
4. Evaluate whether the existence of listings is contributing to existing human suffering.
5. Determine whether the existence of listings in the occupied territory has a direct connection to the larger dispute in the region.”
Airbnb did not disclose details of how these criteria were implemented, how it analyzed these factors, nor identify the supposed “experts” and “community of stakeholders” consulted.
Airbnb titled its release “Listings in Disputed Regions” and claims it operates in 191 countries. This anodyne language masks the clearly discriminatory purpose of its policy in bowing to pressure from the BDS campaign. Airbnb has thousands of listings in occupied territories (Turkish Occupied Cyprus, Tibet, etc…) and in areas of extreme violence and human suffering. Yet, the company has decided to solely apply this policy to approximately 100+ Jewish-owned apartments under location criteria not specified by the company. Moreover, the apartments allegedly at issue represent .005% of Airbnb’s 4 million listings. In contrast, listings in China (including Tibet) comprise 4%.
(full article online)
The NGOs and Funders Behind Airbnb’s BDS Policy