Airbnb says it hasn’t reversed its plan to stop listing properties in Israeli settlements in the “occupied West Bank”. Airbnb’s plan would affect around 200 properties.
Earlier Monday, Israel’s tourism minister, Yariv Levin, said Airbnb pledged “not to implement” its decision during a meeting between the two sides. The ministry welcomed the reported reversal as “a step in the right direction.”
But Airbnb says that report was inaccurate. The San Francisco-based company says it is developing the tools needed to implement its policy while it continues to talk with stakeholders.
The company announced last month that it would stop listing properties in the settlements, which many of Israel’s enemies around the world consider illegal.
The decision prompted uproar in Israel. Officials accused the company of anti-Semitism and threatened to impose taxes on its operations in Israel. Lawsuits were filed in Israel and the U.S.
Statement from @Airbnb rejecting claim by Tourism Ministry that it had walked back its decision to remove listings in the settlements. pic.twitter.com/9SgRFLIDPB
— Jacob Magid (@JacobMagid) December 17, 2018
(AP / YWN)
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