A powerful legal challenge has been launched in France against two of the world’s biggest travel accommodation platforms — Airbnb and Booking.com. The Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH), a prominent French human rights organization, filed a complaint accusing both companies of promoting what it calls “occupation tourism” by listing accommodations in Israeli settlements located in Palestinian territories.
In the case filed in Paris, the LDH argues that these platforms are complicit in the aggravated concealment of war crimes. “These multinational companies, by offering their services and provisions, enable and facilitate, both directly and indirectly, the creation and expansion of Israeli settlements,” stated Patrick Baudouin, the group’s lawyer.
Since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, settlements have continued to expand, despite being considered illegal under international law. Today, over 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, alongside three million Palestinians.
According to LDH, Airbnb and Booking.com play a role in normalizing the settlements’ existence. Airbnb reportedly lists rentals in these disputed areas without clarifying that they are in Palestinian territories — instead, naming only the settlement. Booking.com, meanwhile, labels them as “in Palestine” but still includes them under Israeli settlements, effectively blurring the reality on the ground.
Tourists viewing these listings can also find nearby attractions and distances to key landmarks — a feature LDH claims helps “sustain occupation tourism.”
In September, the United Nations identified 158 companies from 11 countries, including Airbnb and Booking.com, as being linked to business activities in Israeli settlements. Earlier this year, UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese criticized major travel platforms for promoting tourism that “legitimizes annexation.”
While both companies have yet to respond to the allegations, their previous actions suggest ongoing controversy. Airbnb had once removed West Bank listings in 2018 but reinstated them in 2019 following lawsuits in the United States and Israel, after which it pledged to donate profits from these rentals to humanitarian causes.
The issue highlights a growing global debate over ethics in digital tourism — and the responsibilities that come with global influence. As technology bridges people and places, it also raises a deeper question: When business meets conflict, who takes responsibility for the human cost?
