i24 News – Israel says that it will fight a plan by online travel agency Booking.com to add a safety warning to listings in the West Bank, which its tourism minister condemned as a politically-motivated move.
The move was welcomed by a senior Palestinian official, provided it applied to Jewish settlements only.
A spokesperson for Amsterdam-based Booking.com said Monday that it planned to “display… banners and notifications to customers related to relevant local safety considerations” for listings in the West Bank, similar to current labels for Ukraine or Cyprus.
Violence in the West Bank surged in recent months after the Israeli military stepped up raids in the territory following a spate of deadly Palestinian attacks in Israel.
On Tuesday, one man was killed in clashes between Palestinian gunmen and security forces of the West Bank’s governing Palestinian Authority in Nablus, which broke out after the arrest of two militants.
The Booking.com spokesperson did not give any indication that the company – whose website describes the West Bank as “Palestinian Territory” – was taking a position on the area’s status.
Yet, Israel’s Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov said he wrote to the travel agency and threatened “diplomatic war” by his government to reverse the decision, which was condemned as “political.”
In 2018, Airbnb said it would delist settlement properties, but backed off following protests by Israel and legal challenges in some US states.
Can we start a grassroots boycott of Bookings.com right here on Matzav? Let Bookings.com book Ben & Jerry’s products.