Settlers sit in a shack north of the Palestinian village of al-Mughayyir near the Israeli settlement of Shilo in the occupied West Bank on Nov. 20, 2018. Human Rights Watch has urged Booking.com to follow the example of Airbnb and withdraw listings for rentals located in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Airbnb said it would remove such listings, just ahead of the release of a critical report from the group.
From Israel to China to Spain, companies are becoming increasingly embroiled in foreign policy disputes in the countries in which they operate. Territorial squabbles and ambiguous legal statuses are turning business decisions into foreign policy positions whether those companies like it or not. From Airbnb listings to maps of China, those decisions can create security and continuity concerns for companies caught in the middle. In response to these challenges, corporations need to gain a greater understanding of the disagreements so they can anticipate and head off any disruption to operations. Airbnb Listings in Israel Last month, the online short-term leasing service Airbnb announced that it would delist 200 properties in Israeli settlements in the West Bank . Within days, the announcement triggered lawsuits claiming that the popular vacation rental website was discriminating against Jewish property owners.
