The State demands that seven platforms withdraw their tourism offerings from occupied Palestinian territories.

BarcelonaThe Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and Agenda 2030 has demanded that seven tourism platforms remove 138 advertisements for vacation rentals located in Palestinian territories occupied by Israel. The ministry, headed by Pablo Bustinduy, conducted an investigation that compiled dozens of listings for vacation rentals located in these territories, according to a ministry statement. Specifically, 138 tourist accommodation listings were detected on seven intermediary platforms offering these services in Spain. Consequently, an initial formal request has been sent to these multinational companies informing them that illegal content has been detected on their platforms, specifically commercial communications regarding accommodations located in Palestinian territories occupied by Israel, and urging them to remove or block the listings immediately. If these multinational companies do not remove the identified listings from Spain, they could face further action from the ministry.

This requirement falls under the Royal Decree-Law adopting urgent measures against genocide in Gaza and in support of the Palestinian population, approved by the Government on September 9. Specifically, Article 4 establishes that advertising the sale of goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory and services provided in these settlements will be considered illegal advertising.

The identified advertisements are for accommodations located in towns with more than 200 postal codes corresponding to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, which were published this Monday in the Official State Gazette (Official State Gazette). The Ministry of Consumer Affairs explains in the statement that, according to an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on July 19, 2024, states have the obligation to "take measures to prevent trade or investment relations that contribute to the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory." Therefore, the ministry warns, these accommodations contribute to the normalization and perpetuation of a colonial regime considered illegal under international law. Amnesty International and other NGOs have publicly denounced various platforms offering this type of tourist accommodation in Palestinian territory.