The Israeli-American Civic Action Network (“ICAN”) strongly condemns the decision by Airbnb to delist properties in the West Bank as part of a new “decision-making framework” pertaining to occupied or disputed territories. As a result of this new policy, Airbnb groups Israel and the West Bank with Crimea, Iran, Sudan, Syria, and North Korea as places where they will not allow properties to be listed.

As part of its evaluation, Airbnb believes that Jewish owned properties in the West Bank pose “potential safety risks for our hosts and guests” and that “the existence of listings is contributing to existing human suffering.” ICAN strongly disputes this characterization.

“Having reviewed this decision, the arbitrary nature of the evaluation process and the apparent singling out of Israel in the application of this new policy, we believe that Airbnb is potentially in violation of United States Federal Anti-Boycott laws and several state laws,” said Dillon Hosier, Chief Advocacy Officer. “We intend to submit a formal complaint to the Department of Commerce and the Office of Anti-Boycott compliance on this matter.”

ICAN calls on Airbnb to reconsider and reverse their decision on this matter and act in accordance with United States law and local jurisdictions abroad.