A group of Jewish Americans last week filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Airbnb rental company in San Francisco, the city where the firm has its headquarters.
Two of the five plaintiffs are dual Israeli-American citizens who are residents in the Jewish community of Efrat, a 10-minute drive south of Jerusalem.
The company announced in November a change in its policy, saying it would delist rentals in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria; however, the firm refuses to do the same with listings in Arab communities in the same areas.
The move is clearly discriminatory and appears to be a response to pressure from the international Boycott, Divest and Sanctions campaign (BDS) against Israel.
“Airbnb is eyeing the Israeli market to increase its offerings in the Middle East,” Marc Zell, the attorney for the plaintiffs said in a statement, according to the CBS affiliate in San Francisco.
“It is inconceivable that Airbnb would at the same time alter its longstanding policy against complying with the anti-Semitic BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement by delisting Jewish/Israeli accommodations in Judea and Samaria, while continuing to permit Arab homeowners located literally across the road to participate in the Airbnb program,” Zell said.
Last week the company said in a statement that it was “working with experts to develop and validate the means to implement” its policy.