Airbnb, Booking.com and Tripadvisor offer trips and stays to “fantastic” places in “Israel”. But several of the destinations are located on illegal, occupied Palestinian land. You will not be told this when you order. The illegal Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit, which will be expanded here in 2018. Today, 64,000 Israelis live here. Photo: MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP Superhost Tal rents out a “Beautiful, bright apartment with a view of the Dead Sea” in one of the settlements. The Israelis occupied the West Bank during the 6-day war in 1967. The UN condemns the occupation and has asked Israel to pull out all 279 Israeli settlements with their 700,000 Israelis. Tal writes about his apartment on the West Bank: “We have designed the apartment especially for people who want to enjoy a peaceful and relaxing holiday close to wild nature”. Airbnb offers apartments in illegal Israeli settlements. Photo: Tom Balgaard / news news asks Tal via the chat service on Airbnb’s website about why it does not appear in the ad that the apartment is located on Palestinian land. – I am allowed to live here by the State of Israel, Tal answers briefly. He believes the question is inappropriate: – If you know of a place in the world where we Jews can live quietly without worrying about our lives, I would like to hear about it. Good luck! 15 months after the Hamas terror attack on 7 October, the conflict between the settlers and the Palestinians in the West Bank has increased sharply. 695 Palestinians have been killed, Palestinian property has been destroyed, and many Palestinian farmers have been driven from their olive groves. On the Israeli side, 16 IDF soldiers and 6 settlers have been killed. Properties belonging to Palestinian villagers are set on fire by Israeli settlers in the village of al-Mughayyir, April 13, 2024. The destruction came in response to the killing of 14-year-old Israeli Binyamin Achimair by Palestinians while he was tending goats. Photo: Nasser Nasser / AP Tal is just one of many Israeli settlers who rent out their apartments on Airbnb and Bookinig.com. Both companies are on the list of the Tel-Aviv-based organization WhoProfits. Photo: Reuters They focus on identifying commercial actors who benefit from or contribute to the maintenance of the occupation. Israel Trips to the Occupied Golan Heights Tripadvisor recommends a five-day tour “throughout Israel,” which includes a trip to the occupied Golan Heights. – You will follow an adventure-filled itinerary, and travel between places in a luxurious SUV, says the advertisement. They also offer ATV driving and a full dinner at a winery in the Golan Heights. Israel occupied the area from Syria in 1967. TripAdvisor promises you a fresh Israeli breakfast before exploring the occupied Golan Heights’ many sights. Photo: Tom Balgaard / news news has asked the companies why their advertisements do not say when the places they offer are in illegally occupied Palestinian or Syrian territory. Airbnb and Tripadvisor have not responded to news’s inquiry. Booking’s answer comes further down in the text. Law professor: – Oljefond company helps the occupiers The oil fund has made some large investments in these travel companies. The fund owns NOK 14.1 billion in Booking.co, NOK 5.9 billion in Airbnb and NOK 241 million in Tripadvisor. This is according to the latest public information from the Pension Fund abroad dated 30 June 2024. Illegal investment: Terje Einarsen, professor of public law at the University of Bergen and chairman of ICJ-Norway. Photo: Sidsel Wold Law professor Terje Einarsen believes these companies violate international law. – What Booking.com and the others are doing is illegal. There is little doubt about that. – Why that? – Because these companies help to maintain the occupation. The settlers are helped to run their economic activities in a place they have no right to be. It follows from international law and the ICJ’s statement this summer that what the illegal settlers have built up belongs to the Palestinians. – The oil fund should therefore get out of it, because the aforementioned companies are engaged in illegal activities in the occupied area. The oil fund cannot support that, without then coming into conflict with the rules of international law, says Einarsen. Dispute over Norway goes far enough Foreign Minister Espen Barth-Eide will not comment on the oil fund’s specific investments and refers to the Ethics Council. However, he says that the government recently tightened what Norwegian companies can invest in Israel. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide is tightening up on investments in the Israeli occupation economy. Photo: Johanna Hauge / news – We have just come out with a clear message that we advise against trading with, or investments that contribute to, the occupation of illegally occupied land in Palestine. – What does it mean in practice? – This means that Norwegian companies that had to remain involved in this could, in the worst case, end up contributing to war crimes, violations of international law, violations of human rights. It is a clear message, says Barth Eide. Want a ban 27 Norwegian interest organisations, including Norwegian People’s Aid and the Trade Union Confederation, LO’s largest confederation think this is not enough. They stand behind a very concrete bill by the Danish Defense People’s Court, which will ban all forms of investment in the occupation economy. Should be banned: Raymond Johansen in Norwegian People’s Aid Photo: Ole Reinert Omvik / news – A piece of advice is interpreted differently by different actors. KLP, for example, has exited some types of businesses in Israel, while the oil fund is still invested in these. So ergo, there are Norwegian actors who are involved in economic interaction with actors who profit from the illegal occupation. And it is important for us to help avoid that, says head of Norwegian People’s Aid, Raymond Johansen. – What do you think the government should do? – We want a ban, plain and simple. Barth-Eide, for his part, believes that a ban on investments on occupied land is unnecessary. He believes that the current advice has almost as strong legal force. Moreover, a new law will take a long time to go through the Storting, and indicates that the new advice has already come into force. Booking.com complies with local laws Booking.com defends its advertisements for hotels and rentals on the West Bank: Photo: NTB – Our mission at Booking.com is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, and we therefore believe that it is up for travelers to decide where they want and need to go. Therefore, we allow all accommodations worldwide to register on our platform, as long as they comply with applicable local laws. The Council of Ethics reviews West Bank companies The Council of Ethics’ chairman, Svein Richard Brandtzæg Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB scanpix It is the Council of Ethics that assesses the oil fund’s investments in Israel and recommends which companies should be withdrawn from the fund. The Ethics Council’s chairman Svein Richard Brandtzæg will not comment on any of the specific companies mentioned here. He says on a general basis that the Ethics Council continuously assesses companies that contribute to violations of international law. Published 19.11.2024, at 18.36
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The oil fund owns companies worth 23.4 billion that offer travel and accommodation to illegal Israeli settlements – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
