Irish court orders police to reconsider probing Airbnb over West Bank settlements
Pro-Palestinian group had challenged police force after it said it does not have jurisdiction in area; ruling does not automatically trigger an investigation by cops
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DUBLIN — Ireland’s High Court on Thursday struck down a decision by the Irish police not to investigate the legality of Airbnb operations in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, rejecting the argument that it did not have jurisdiction.
The ruling does not automatically trigger an investigation by police in Ireland, where Airbnb has its Europe and Middle East headquarters, but it obliges the Irish police to consider the matter afresh, the court heard.
The case was brought by Irish-Palestinian non-governmental organization Sadaka, which asked police to investigate whether Airbnb had broken Irish law by operating in the settlements. It argued that the police decision not to investigate due to jurisdiction issues was “legally erroneous and irrational.”
A lawyer representing the Irish police, Remy Farrell, conceded the case on Thursday and said the matter would be “considered afresh” by the respondents.
Airbnb did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
The company allows listings throughout the West Bank but takes no profits from this activity in the region, the company said in a 2019 statement, in which it said it had never boycotted Israel or Israeli businesses.
More than 150 businesses, including Airbnb and rivals Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor, are operating in Israeli West Bank settlements deemed illegal by the UN, a report by the organization’s human rights office showed in September.
Online travel companies like Airbnb and Booking.com have long faced pressure from Palestinian officials, anti-Israel activists and human rights groups to end their listings there.
Airbnb announced in November 2018 that it would remove some 200 rental listings in West Bank settlements, but in 2019 reversed the decision after being sued by a dozen plaintiffs in the United States and Israel.
In 2022, it said it would caution customers booking accommodations in Israeli settlements that they were traveling to a “disputed, conflict-affected or high-risk” area that “may pose greater risks.”
Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law.
Israel rejects this, citing historical and biblical ties to the area. It says the settlements provide strategic depth and security and that the West Bank is “disputed,” not “occupied.”
The Times of Israel Community.