Airbnb Facing Legal Challenges In U.S. After Delisting Homes In Jewish West Bank Communities

Popular short-term rental company Airbnb is facing legal cases in the United States over its recent decision to delist properties located in Jewish communities in the West Bank. The latest action was taken on Wednesday by a group of 18 American Jews, who sued the corporation in a U.S. Federal Court over charges of religious discrimination. “Airbnb has made a religion—and nationality-based decision about who can list,” Robert Tolchin, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the Reuters news agency. “It decided in the United States, ‘We will not list for Jews in the West Bank.’ It should be equal access for all.” Airbnb announced ten days ago the removal of the 200 Jewish-owned listings after the company concluded that the locations “are at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.” The Israeli government also has gone on the offensive, with Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan having sent a letter to the governors of Illinois, New York, Florida, Missouri, and California equating Airbnb’s new policy to “the anti-Semitic practices and narrative of the boycott movement.”