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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Javi West Larrañaga and Mireia Merino

Booking site blocks hotel listings in Israel-occupied West Bank

Spanish travel company eDreams has confirmed it will block accommodation listings in illegal Israeli settlements within occupied Palestinian territories.

Chief financial officer David Elizaga said the company always maintained a policy against offering services in these areas, but noted some listings automatically appeared on its website after owners uploaded them.

The issue gained prominence at an Annual General Meeting in July, attracting pro-Palestinian protests.

This followed eDreams being the only Spanish company named in a 2023 list by the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights.

Mr Elizaga added the company has since activated location screenings to filter out properties offered in the illegal settlements.

In addition to its contact with the United Nations, eDreams has been in touch with NGOs and local organisations to ensure it does not again appear in lists of companies that provide "services and utilities supporting the maintenance and existence of settlements".

eDreams has announced it will block accommodation listings in the occupied West Bank (eDreams)

"The United Nations works at the speed at which it works with the resources they have," Mr Elizaga said.

He added that eDreams should not be included in the next edition of the report.

The United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights Office said an update of the report will be made public a few days before it is officially presented on 29 September.

Earlier on Tuesday, eDreams reported it had delivered a net profit of €13.6 million (£11.84 million) for the April to June period, the first quarter of its accounting year, from a net loss of €1.2 million (£1.04 million) in the same period in 2024.

Rare daytime raid in West Bank

In late August, Israeli forces carried out a rare daytime raid in the heart of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is headquartered.

Dozens of Palestinians were wounded, according to local medics, as people throwing stones scattered after gunfire and tear gas.

Israel said it targeted money exchanges linked to Hamas.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said 58 people were wounded in the raid, eight of them by live fire and 14 by rubber-coated bullets. A few dozen people hurled rocks at a line of Israeli armoured vehicles as they rolled into the city center.

The military said it detained five people “suspected of terrorist activity”.

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