Anti-Israel organizations have launched a massive legal campaign against Airbnb over the company’s “illegal” listings in Judea and Samaria
Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), Ireland’s Sadaka organization, and Palestinian group Al-Haq announced their coordinated strategy at a Dublin press conference on Monday.
“These are the first ever cases to apply anti-money laundering legislation to business activity in the illegal Israeli settlements,” said GLAN senior lawyer Gerry Liston, claiming executives face “personal risk of prosecution for a very serious criminal offense.”
In Britain, GLAN and Al-Haq have filed a criminal complaint with the National Crime Agency against Airbnb’s UK subsidiary, stretching money laundering statutes to cover what they characterize as handling proceeds from war crimes.
In Ireland, although authorities previously dismissed a similar complaint last year, Sadaka has launched a judicial review of that decision.
Meanwhile, GLAN attorneys have sent a document preservation notice to Airbnb’s U.S. headquarters, beginning proceedings under the Foreign Legal Assistance statute that could force the company to turn over internal communications.
According to the Morning Star, similar legal tactics are being deployed against other platforms.
Dutch prosecutors are investigating Booking.com over identical allegations, while European Legal Support Center has filed parallel cases in the Netherlands.
Under intense pressure in 2018, Airbnb announced it would remove approximately 200 listings in Judea and Samaria, stating the decision was part of an effort to “act responsibly.”
However, Israeli hosts and affected communities fought back through the courts.
After a class-action lawsuit was filed in U.S. federal court, Airbnb reversed its policy in 2019 as part of a legal settlement, recognizing the discriminatory nature of singling out Israeli communities for delisting.
Since then, Airbnb now hosts over 300 properties across the Jewish State.
PHOTO: Use according to Section 27 A