Jews Down Under An online magazine for Australian Jews
airbnb = air BDS
To quote Kulanu Knesset member and Deputy Minister Michael Oren.
“Airbnb’s policy is the very definition of antisemitism. No one should use its services.”
The call came in response to an airbnb blacklist, which has removed all Jewish apartments in Judaea and Samaria from its listings — “not Palestinian apartments, not apartments in Turkish occupied Cyprus, in Moroccan occupied Sahara, not in Tibet or the Crimea,” nor any other disputed area.
The decision to delist Jewish properties is directly contrary to the company’s declared policy limiting hosts from rejecting would-be renters based on their race, religion, nationality, disability, gender, or age.
As the company headquarters are located in California they are bound by California civil rights laws.
Perhaps some lawyer could give an opinion about whether the blacklist is conflict with Assembly Bill 2844 and other California legislation such as The Unruh Civil Rights Act (California Civil Code Section 51). If not illegal by the letter of the law the boycott is certainly illegal in its spirit.
51.a. All persons within the jurisdiction of this state are free and equal, and no matter what their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments of every kind whatsoever.
What can we do? Action items
Avoid airbnb while this policy is in force.
- Let the company know how you feel and that you will not be using their services until they change their policy.
- Address: 888 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 USA
- Internet contact: https://www.airbnb.com/help/contact_us/channel
- Twitter: @Airbnb
- Use and share the right graphic as your round Facebook profile. Click for appropriately sized image.
- Share the left graphic at the beginning of this article.
- Add you name to online petitions, such as Airbnb – Don’t Delist Judaea and Samaria Rentals! and Oppose Discrimination by Airbnb, Tell AirBNB they need to reverse their discriminatory decision!
- Write a letter through the Action Network, Airbnb, Stop Discriminating Against Israelis.
- Comment on media reports.
Extra credit
- airbnb gets serious about fighting discrimination, Davey Alba, WIRED, 9 August 2016
- CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR SIGNS ANTI-BDS BILL INTO LAW, JTA, The Jerusalem Post, 25 September 2016
- BBC News website framing of the Airbnb listings story, Hadar Sela, BBC Watch, 20 November 2018
- 9 Airbnb Competitors That You Should Know About, Pamela Chan, Tripping, 1 March 2018
- The NGOs and Funders Behind Airbnb’s BDS Policy, NGO Monitor, 20 November 2018
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