The villa is stunning. The private swimming pool; the lush, landscaped terrace with firepit; the long dining table with its expansive balcony view; the pingpong table; the piano. But the jewel in the crown, according to the Airbnb listing, is the experience of watching the sun rise over the nearby mountains from the luxury of the generous master bedroom.
The villa with views of the Judean mountains is in a settlement located on land seized from Palestinians and considered illegal under international humanitarian law. Only a handful of Palestinians are allowed to enter this, and other, Israeli settlements in the West Bank, usually as labourers with special permits.
Exclusive analysis carried out by the Guardian found 760 rooms being advertised in hotels, apartments and other holiday rentals in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, on two of the world’s most popular tourism websites.
Land disputes tend to end when an agreement is reached between natives and colonizers or the colonizers murder so many natives that there are no people to claim the land of their ancestors.
America and Canada mostly fall in the second category. The natives have struck a peace deal and gained reservations but instead of demanding all the land back they are (rightfully) asking for financial compensation.
What differs it from Palestine is that Israel is actively doing the ethnic cleansing and genocide in the present. And there is no peace treaty made which the Palestinians have accepted.
Unless Palestinians agree to a deal they have the right over all the land back. From the river to the sea.
In the present Palestinians are willing to agree to a deal favorable to Israel to end their suffering. Because Israel has the military advantage.
However Israel does not accept it believing they can steal more land. They will lose everything as soon as their military advantage ends.
Would you also ask airbnb to delist homes in East Jerusalem owned by Palestinian Israelis? Or is it only Jewish Israelis that should be boycotted?
Only the colonists naturally.
I love how they stopped prodding once you got straight to the point and they didn’t know what to say.