A group of Jewish Americans sued Airbnb on Wednesday in U.S. federal court, accusing the home rental company of religious discrimination over its decision last week to remove listings for about 200 homes in Judea and Samaria from its website.
The 18 plaintiffs, including Israeli-American families and individuals who said they own or wish to rent affected homes, accused Airbnb of "redlining" Jewish-owned properties while letting Muslims and Christians rent their homes.
They said this effectively left Airbnb taking sides in the dispute over the West Bank, where Palestinians hope to establish an independent state.
"We don't believe this lawsuit will succeed in court, but we know that people will disagree with our decision and appreciate their perspective," Airbnb said in a statement.
The complaint was filed in federal court in Delaware, where Airbnb is incorporated, and which the plaintiffs said has jurisdiction over the San Francisco-based company's alleged violation of U.S. laws against housing discrimination.
"Airbnb has made a religion- and a nationality-based decision about who can list," Robert Tolchin, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in an interview. "It decided in the United States, 'We will not list for Jews in the West Bank.' It should be equal access for all."
The plaintiffs are seeking injunctive relief and unspecified damages, including for lost rental income.
Israeli lawyers last week filed a separate class-action lawsuit against Airbnb over the move, accusing the company of "outrageous discrimination" and demanding monetary compensation over its delisting of dozens of properties from Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria.
The Delaware case differed by claiming that "Airbnb is violating Americans' rights, and this can't be argued in an Israeli court under Israeli law," Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, another lawyer for the plaintiffs, said.
While concluding that "companies should not profit on lands where people have been displaced," Airbnb said it had "deep respect" for the "many strong views" about what to do with disputed lands.
