International human rights group Amnesty International has stepped up a campaign to demand that TripAdvisor stops listing tourist attractions and properties in illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The rights group addressed an open letter to TripAdvisor staff on Wednesday urging them to use their power to demand an end to the tourism listings.
.@amnesty issued an open letter to @TripAdvisor staff today asking them to speak out against TRIP ADVISOR'S ROLE in driving #HumanRights violations in the Israeli occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. https://t.co/rK51bTGXs1 pic.twitter.com/Ei6svW69dH
— AIUSA Israel/OPT/PA (@IOTPA) July 10, 2019
Mark Dummett, Head of Business and Human Rights at Amnesty International said:
“Israel’s policy of settling Israeli citizens on stolen Palestinian land in occupied territory is a war crime.”
He continued:
“By promoting tourism in these illegal settlements, TripAdvisor is helping boost their economies and contributing to the immense suffering of Palestinians who have been uprooted from their land, had their homes destroyed and their natural resources plundered for settlement use.”
Trip Advisor's Guide to a Dream Holiday in Israel Courtesy of Amnesty International
You Too Can Get To Normalise Discrimination
https://t.co/0DUp35su6h
https://t.co/S8lixnpREO— Tony Greenstein (@TonyGreenstein) April 24, 2019
The open letter was shared with TripAdvisor staff after the company appeared to rebuke an Amnesty International report earlier this year which called on online booking companies to stop listing tourist accommodation, activities and attractions in settlements in occupied territories, including East Jerusalem.
TripAdvisor suggested that the company had no responsibility to stop advertising activities in Israeli settlements.
Amnesty International demands Trip Advisor to stop promoting Israeli settlements https://t.co/jGzu6cZ1Ek
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) May 29, 2019
Earlier this year Amnesty’s “Destination: Occupation” report revealed that digital tourism giants Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor were profiting from “war crimes” by offering services in Israeli settlements.
(Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, PC, Social Media)