International travel accommodation giant Booking.com added warnings on properties listed in both Jewish settlements and Palestinian areas of the West Bank, calling them “conflict-afflicted.” The warnings first appeared over the weekend, about a month after Booking.com announced that it would introduce the disclaimer. The warning that pops up when searching on the company’s website for West Bank accommodations reads: “Please review any travel advisories provided by your government to make an informed decision about your stay in this area, which may be considered conflict-affected.”
The warning was softened from wording that Booking.com had said it would use, which would have said that the area “may be accompanied by an increased risk to safety and human rights, or other risks to the local community and visitors.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday said it was pleased that the wording had been altered.
The “conflict-afflicted” warning appears on several other areas around the world, including the Northern Cyprus, Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia.