[ April 19, 2024 ]
In an act of Nazi-inspired corporate antisemitism, Airbnb pulled listings from Judea and Samaria in Israel, the only democracy in the region. But Airbnb continues to operate in countries with the worst human rights records.
Class action suit filed in Jerusalem court against Airbnb
The court petition stated that the discrimination in this case was “particularly grave and outrageous” because Airbnb has pulled listings from only one disputed territory, the West Bank.
By Tovah Lazaroff, November 23, 2018:
Four attorneys filed a class action suit against Airbnb in Jerusalem District Court on Thursday to protest the US-based company’s decision to drop listings in West Bank settlements from its vacation rental website that hosts ads from 191 countries.
Story continues below advertisement“The law in Israel forbids discrimination based on the place where you live, and what Airbnb has done is by all means discrimination based on the place where you live,” said attorney Aviel Flint, a partner in the law firm Yossi Levy & Co.
This is a case of Israeli law and not antisemitism or politics, Flint told The Jerusalem Post.
The case is based on a 2000 law against discrimination in products and services, which was amended in 2017 to include place of residence.
The suit also names the Israeli NGO Kerem Navot, which along with Human Rights Watch, published an in-depth report on Airbnb and a similar website called booking.com. It called on both companies to remove the listings. The NGO’s argued that Israel’s presence in the West Bank was illegal under international law and that in some cases, the rooms were on land that belonged to private Palestinian landowners.
The suit was filed on behalf of Ma’anit Rabinovich, a resident of the Kida outpost, who has rented guests rooms through Airbnb and heard of the issue through the media without any notification from the company.
“From Airbnb’s point of view, it was a lot more important ‘to run’ quickly to the media and tell them about its decision, instead of first of all informing all those people that were about to be hurt or even to warn them about their intention to do it,” the court petition stated.
Flint said he expects that the 200 people in Judea and Samaria who use Airbnb will join the suit.
The court petition stated that the discrimination in this case was “particularly grave and outrageous” because Airbnb has pulled listings from only one disputed territory, the West Bank, while continuing to list rentals in other places of contention such as Tibet and northern Cyprus.
The dispute between Russia and Georgia involved military invasions, and despite that, Airbnb still offered 300 apartments there for rent, the petition stated.
The petition quoted explanations from Airbnb that it respects local laws and customs. “Airbnb recognizes that some jurisdictions permit, or require, distinctions among individuals based on factors such as national origin, gender, marital status or sexual orientation, and it does not require hosts to violate local laws or take actions that may subject them to legal liability,” the company has stated.
“Airbnb will provide additional guidance and adjust this nondiscrimination policy to reflect such permissions and requirements in the jurisdictions where they exist,” the company further explained.
One would conclude, the petition stated, that “Airbnb has no policies regarding regions of conflict in the world. It has policies regarding settlements.”
The other attorneys in the case are Asaf Shubinsky, Chen Shomart and Hagai Vinitzky.
The Truth Must be Told
Your contribution supports independent journalism
Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more.
Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible.
Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too.
Please contribute here.
or
Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.
Quick note: We cannot do this without your support. Fact. Our work is made possible by you and only you. We receive no grants, government handouts, or major funding.Tech giants are shutting us down. You know this. Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Adsense, Pinterest permanently banned us. Facebook, Google search et al have shadow-banned, suspended and deleted us from your news feeds. They are disappearing us. But we are here.
Subscribe to Geller Report newsletter here— it’s free and it’s essential NOW when informed decision making and opinion is essential to America's survival. Share our posts on your social channels and with your email contacts. Fight the great fight.
Follow Pamela Geller on Gettr. I am there. click here.
Follow Pamela Geller on Trump's social media platform, Truth Social. It's open and free.
Remember, YOU make the work possible. If you can, please contribute to Geller Report.
Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spammy or unhelpful, click the - symbol under the comment to let us know. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
If you would like to join the conversation, but don't have an account, you can sign up for one right here.
If you are having problems leaving a comment, it's likely because you are using an ad blocker, something that break ads, of course, but also breaks the comments section of our site. If you are using an ad blocker, and would like to share your thoughts, please disable your ad blocker. We look forward to seeing your comments below.
26 Comments
5 years ago
Take ’em to the cleaners!
5 years ago
25 states have Anti-BDS Laws on their books. I have already started inquires! In other words many companies who have contracts with some states are forbidden from boycotting Israel.
5 years ago
Reply to
Millionmileman
All of those anti-BDS laws are in violation of NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware, decided by SCOTUS in 1982, 8-0. Airbnb and anyone else would invoke that decision in a motion to dismiss.
5 years ago
Reply to
aemoreira1981
Rubbish! I testified, in our state senate and assembly to bring our recent law to signing, in Wisconsin, Kentucky just enacted this earlier this week. I paraphrase, our Law is “Any company having a contract with The State of Wisconsin (which Airbnb has a tax break) shall be penalized. Business contacts with states are not subject to the First Amendment.
5 years ago
Reply to
Millionmileman
Those laws will all be challenged once the situation is ripe for litigation. Judges are not bound by popular will, and in at least 2 states, anti-BDS laws have been enjoined or struck down. The USA is a country of a Constitution. You knew or should have known about NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware.
5 years ago
Reply to
aemoreira1981
The law is specific about boycotting Israel. Not Hardware stores nor Black people. It is very specific.
5 years ago
Reply to
Millionmileman
Even that is illegal since it bars a Constitutionally valid action. The only exception is if the entity expressly supported is a designated foreign terrorist organization. John Paul Stevens, who was the last justice still on the Court from the Claiborne Hardware decision, was in the majority for Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project because of that clear distinction. (Holder v. HLP is also the only case where the Supreme Court applied the test from Brandenburg v. Ohio, a strict scrutiny case, and it passed.)
5 years ago
Reply to
aemoreira1981
I doesn’t apply because of Contract Law with a state. Brandenburg did not have a busines contract. AirBnb does in Wisconsin. Besides this why are you Pro-BDS ?
5 years ago
Err Pamela, interesting and perhaps Freudian typo in the first paragraph. You may wish to adjust it 😉
5 years ago
. …. Israel claims
“Palestinians have no RIGHTS because they have no Nation”,
and “Palestinians do not exist because they have no nation”
So by Israeli logic the “holocaust” was OKAY because the Jews HAD NO NATION.
Israel CLAIMS to be a Democracy.
But the only way it survives is by outlawing Free Speech (holocost denial)
and Free Association (BDS).
Two main foundation blocks of Democracy.
Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said, “Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.”
5 years ago
Reply to
Thomas Faddis
I’d bet this same idiot would not tolerate criticism of Islam!
Liberals ALWAYS have it backwards!
5 years ago
airbnb owners are very antisemitic, two of them have their roots in Poland.
It is a pure racism the perform – they are real antisemites like KKK
5 years ago
Most of the lite body armor and cut proof clothing is made in israel..
No wonder Islamics want to ban exports of israeli safety clothing.
It can save you during a terror attack..
5 years ago
5 years ago
Who is the lawyer or law firm representing Israel?
I hope it is the Israeli lawyer extraordinaire Nitsana Darshun-Leitner. She is very successful suing on behalf of Israeli victims of Islamic terror in Israel. She and her team are simply the best!
Shabbat Shalom – Go Israel!
5 years ago
Two strategies:
1. Airbnb is not an Israeli company with any brick-and-mortar presence in Israel, and so Israeli courts do not have jurisdiction.
2. The only valid jurisdiction to sue is the Northern District of California, but since those people are residents of Israel, the 11th Amendment applies.
5 years ago
Reply to
aemoreira1981
If any Israelis also have dual American Citizenship then the 11th does not apply. Look if you want small government then Barry Goldwater stated that Civil Rights did not apply because of States Rights.
I rest my case.
5 years ago
What Airbnb is doing is what hitler was doing, starting a hate campaign and
discrimination against Jews. Is Airbnb supporting nazism?
I am not Jewish but “tells-it-like-I-sees-it”. Airbnb’s action should NOT be accepted.
5 years ago
because israel is flagrant int’l laws violator …. nuff said ..
“”…Israel’s Settlements Have No Legal Validity, Constitute Flagrant Violation of International Law, Security Council Reaffirms …””
5 years ago
Reply to
SemurJengkolMaknyus
Listen Israel invented AirBnb because at the time of the birth of Jesus,Joseph and Mary the land was know as Judea in which was Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary had to sleep in the Manger because bastards like you…
WOULDN’T RENT ROOMS TO JEWS!
Also who takes the erroneous UN Bigots seriously!
5 years ago
Reply to
Millionmileman
erroneous UN bigots ???? .. really ???
.. so it must be an erroneous decision by erroneous UN bigots ..when erroneous israel made erroneous membership application .. which had finally admitted as UN erroneous member …!!!
5 years ago
Reply to
SemurJengkolMaknyus
Listen Israel invented AirBnb because at the time of the birth of Jesus,Joseph and Mary the land was know as Judea in which was Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary had to sleep in the Manger because bastards like you…
WOULDN’T RENT ROOMS TO JEWS!
Also who takes the erroneous UN Bigots seriously!
5 years ago
The company did not follow its own Anti-discrimination policy. They deserve the sharp spanking this class action suit will give them!
