DUBLIN: Ireland’s High Court on Thursday struck down a decision by the Irish police not to investigate the legality of Airbnb operations in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, rejecting the argument that it did not have jurisdiction.
The ruling does not automatically trigger an investigation by police in Ireland, where Airbnb has its Europe and Middle East headquarters, but it obliges the Irish police to consider the matter afresh, the court heard.
The case was brought by Irish-Palestinian non-governmental organization Sadaka, which asked police to investigate whether Airbnb had broken Irish law by operating in the settlements. It argued that the police decision not to investigate due to jurisdiction issues was “legally erroneous and irrational.”
A lawyer representing the Irish police, Remy Farrell, conceded the case on Thursday and said the matter would be “considered afresh” by the respondents.
Airbnb did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
The company allows listings throughout the West Bank but takes no profits from this activity in the region, the company said in a 2019 statement, in which it said it had never boycotted Israel or Israeli businesses.
More than 150 businesses, including Airbnb and rivals Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdviser, are operating in Israeli West Bank settlements deemed illegal by the UN, a report by the organization’s human rights office showed in September.
Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law.
Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the area. It says the settlements provide strategic depth and security and that the West Bank is “disputed” not “occupied.”
Court strikes down Irish police decision not to investigate Airbnb over Israeli settlements
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Court strikes down Irish police decision not to investigate Airbnb over Israeli settlements
- More than 150 businesses, including Airbnb and rivals Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdviser, are operating in Israeli West Bank settlements deemed illegal under international law
Eurovision Sport, Camb.ai to provide live subtitling for Paralympic Winter Games
- Partnership aims to increase accessibility for all audiences
- Milano Cortina Games run from Friday to March 15
LONDON: Eurovision Sport, the European Broadcasting Union’s free-to-air streaming platform, will provide live and on-demand subtitling for coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in partnership with AI language company Camb.ai
The service will run across all competition days, allowing viewers to stream all six Paralympic Winter Games sports on Eurovision Sport with real-time subtitles. The Games open on Friday and run through March 15.
Camb.ai will supply contextual speech-to-text transcription for both live and catch-up coverage, which the organizers said would support accessibility without altering the editorial integrity of broadcasts.
Eurovision Sport Managing Director Alan Fagan said the aim was to make the Games available to “the widest possible audience,” by scaling up digital accessibility across every event on the platform.
The initiative forms part of the EBU’s most extensive digital coverage of a Paralympic Winter Games to date and complements member broadcasters’ linear output.
It also reflects a wider industry push to make live sport easier to follow for viewers watching without sound, people with hearing impairments and audiences consuming content on demand.
Camb.ai’s Chief Technology Officer Akshat Prakash said the company was proud to deepen its partnership with Eurovision Sport, describing the platform as a leader in applying new technology to sports coverage.
The two organizations began working together in 2024, when they delivered what they described as Europe’s first AI-powered real-time translated sports commentary during European Athletics events.
