Opinion
READER LETTER: ‘Stolen land is no place for a holiday’
An Israeli orthodox Jewish man looks on as emergency workers work near a destroyed bus, at the scene of an attack against Israelis at the entrance to the Israeli settlement of Emmanuel, in the West Bank. Picture: AP Photo/Eitan Hess-Askenazi - Credit: AP
North Norfolk is a renowned holiday destination and one we associate with safety, peace and tranquillity.
Many people are finding their way to our area via the online booking company Airbnb.
Last November Airbnb said it would stop offering accommodation and other attractions in the Israeli settlements built on misappropriated Palestinian land in the West Bank. Why? Because the settlements are at the centre of the conflict-plagued Israeli-Palestinian issue.
Airbnb hasn't followed through on this year, but they're essentially right.
Along with other booking giants like TripAvisor, Expedia and Booking.com, they've been offering holiday accommodation located in illegal Israeli settlements.
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These settlements are an abomination. They're built on 1,000 square kilometres of Palestinian land after the Palestinians (and their 50,000 homes and other buildings) were brutally bulldozed out of the way.
Like any business, holiday companies have a responsibility to avoid complicity in human rights violations.
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Our new 'check out' campaign – www.amnesty.org.uk/checkout – is calling on the travel sector to stop profiting from the settlements and remove their settlement holiday listings.
Holidays are supposed to be fun, not part of a wider system of human rights abuse.
JENNY KELLY AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE NORTH NORFOLK AMNESTY GROUP
North Norfolk Amnesty Group chairman
-What do you think? To share your views on this issue and others, email nnn.letters@archant.co.uk
