fbpx

West Bank Settlers Sue Airbnb Over Listings Ban, Palestinian Americans Sue Settlers Back

Palestinians are taking on Israeli settlers in U.S. court over Airbnb’s ban on listings in Jewish West Bank settlements.
[additional-authors]
April 6, 2020
Photo from Pixabay.

Palestinians are taking on Israeli settlers in U.S. court over Airbnb’s ban on listings in Jewish West Bank settlements.

Two Palestinian Americans and two Palestinian villages in the West Bank have countersued the Jewish Americans who filed a lawsuit against Airbnb over the ban.

The Center for Constitutional Rights, which filed the suit on behalf of the Palestinians, says the motion is the first time that Palestinians are directly challenging Israeli settlers in a U.S. court, The Times of Israel reported.

The original lawsuit, Silber et al v. Airbnb Inc., filed in November under the Fair Housing Act, accuses Airbnb of redlining the Jewish-owned properties while continuing to allow Muslim and Christian homeowners to rent theirs, and thus taking sides in the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians over West Bank land. It asks the court to prevent Airbnb from discriminating against Jewish homeowners and seeks compensation for lost rental income.

The countersuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Delaware argues that “as the settlements are both unlawful and inherently discriminatory, the plaintiffs are in effect claiming that Airbnb is discriminating against settlers’ ability to dispossess Palestinians and exclude them from their own land.” It says some of the homes are located on land belonging to their clients and they should be compensated.

Airbnb announced in November that it would remove the some 200 listings for rentals in the West Bank, but the listings remain on its website.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Calling All Jews: This is Your Moment

Americans must understand that, sometimes, especially when facing maniacal Jihadi dictators, a little bit of short-term war is the best way to get a whole lot of long-term peace.

Why Did Israel Suddenly Attack?

It is not a change in their belief that Iran must be stopped from acquiring a nuclear weapon. It is a change in their belief about Israel’s ability to achieve that goal. That belief is the genuine shift.

Jews Must Arm Themselves

While it may feel noble to push for gun reforms and other so-called peaceful measures to strengthen our society, there will inevitably be moments where this society cannot keep us safe.

Extreme Alert at 3 am

We, the entire country, were awakened by air raid sirens and a few minutes later by an ear-splitting continuous shriek on our phones. EXTREME ALERT!

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.