Airbnb, a US-based temporary accommodation company, says it will remove all Israeli settlements in occupied Jordan from its website.
Airbnb says it has made the decision because the settlements are "at the root of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians."
Palestinians have welcomed the move, while Israel has called it "shameful" and threatened legal action.
These Israeli settlements in West Jordan are illegal under international law, but Israel disagrees.
Earlier, Palestinian officials and human rights activists criticized Airbnb for adding houses to Israeli settlements in occupied West Jordan.
Airbnb said in a statement that "US law allows companies like Airbnb to do business in these areas."
At the same time, voices were being raised in the international community that "companies should not do business here because they do not think companies should benefit from the lands from which people have been evicted."
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| A view of the Israeli settlement Maalia Edomim in West Jordan |
The BNB later said, "We have decided to remove the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank from the list of the root causes of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians."
Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Saeb Erekat said it was "important for Airbnb to abide by international law that Israel is an occupied power and that Israeli settlements in West Jordan, including East Jerusalem, are illegal." Are and fall into the category of crimes.
However, Israeli Tourism Minister Yarif Levine said Israel could respond to the lawsuits against Airbnb in US courts by assisting those providing rental space in the settlements.
The Isha Council, which represents Israeli settlers, has accused Airbnb of being a "political site" and said the decision was "the result of either surrendering to anti-Semitism or terrorism, or both."
The decision comes as the international human rights group Human Rights Watch is about to release a report on Airbnb's business in the slums.
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