Beverly Hills Condemns Airbnb For Removing West Bank Listings

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Beverly Hills City Council unanimously passed a resolution condemning Airbnb's decision to remove listings of rentals in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and is encouraging a boycott of the online service, it was announced last week.

The proposed boycott makes Airbnb the latest business caught up in the historic conflict over Israeli occupation of the West Bank, which is home to millions of Palestinians as well as Jewish holy sites. Amid conflicting views about whether companies should be doing business in the occupied territories, Airbnb chose to remove listings in West Bank settlements. The decision struck some as "anti-Jewish."

Vice Mayor John Mirisch said Airbnb's policies are based on "anti-Jewish double standards," and the Israeli-Jewish Congress and human rights leaders have also publicly opposed the company’s actions, according to the press release.

“Jew hatred is a disease. We can try to inoculate others against this malady, but we also must protect ourselves against its effects.” Mirisch said.

Beverly Hills Mayor Julian Gold called Airbnb's actions "deplorable." The unanimous resolution reflects the council's ongoing commitment to Israel and "to exposing hatred anywhere it exists," he said.

The West Bank is a landlocked territory that has been under Israeli occupation since the Six-Day War in 1967. While U.S. law allows companies to engage in business there, some believe businesses shouldn't profit on lands where people have been displaced.

In the past, Airbnb operated in areas like the West Bank that were allowed by law, but since then, the company has developed a framework for evaluating how it treats listings in occupied territories, according to the company. Airbnb concluded it should remove listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians, Airbnb said in a statement.

"We know that people will disagree with this decision and appreciate their perspective. This is a controversial issue," the statement said. "There are many strong views as it relates to lands that have been the subject of historic and intense disputes between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank. Airbnb has deep respect for those views."

Read the full Beverly Hills City Council resolution here. Read Airbnb's full statement here.

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