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
https://arab.news/2zm2n
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
Israeli court overturns conviction of officer who assaulted Palestinian journalist, citing ‘Oct. 7 PTSD’
- Judge sentenced Yitzhak Sofer to 300 hours of community service, saying officer “devoted his life to Israel’s security” and conviction was “disproportionate to severity of his actions”
- Footage shows Sofer throwing photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf to the ground, and repeatedly beating and kicking him while he covered Palestinian gatherings near Al-Aqsa Mosque
LONDON: An Israeli court overturned the conviction of a border police officer who assaulted a Palestinian journalist, ruling his actions were influenced by post-traumatic stress disorder from serving during the Oct. 7 2023 attacks.
On Tuesday, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court sentenced officer Yitzhak Sofer to 300 hours of community service for assaulting Anadolu Agency photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf in occupied East Jerusalem in December 2023.
Footage shows Sofer and other officers drawing weapons, throwing Alkharouf to the ground, and repeatedly beating and kicking him while he covered Palestinian gatherings near Al-Aqsa Mosque amid heavy restrictions.
Alkharouf was hospitalized with facial and body injuries. His cameraman, Faiz Abu Ramila, was also attacked.
Anadolu photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf violently attacked by Israeli army in occupied East Jerusalem while covering Palestinian prayers near Al-Aqsa Mosque
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) December 15, 2023
Incident highlights ongoing restrictions on Friday prayers and press freedom in region https://t.co/exT6XqjEaA pic.twitter.com/pqugK9HnOt
Sofer had been convicted in September 2024 of assault causing bodily harm (acquitted of threats) and initially faced six months’ community service, as recommended by Mahash, the Justice Ministry’s police misconduct unit.
Judge Amir Shaked accepted the defense request to cancel the conviction, replacing it with community service.
He cited Sofer’s PTSD from responding to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack, noting the officer had “no prior criminal record” and had “devoted his life to Israel’s security.”
“The court cannot ignore this when considering whether the defendant’s conviction should stand,” he said, adding that while the incident is “serious and does cross the criminal threshold,” the conviction in place could cause Sofer harm “disproportionate to the severity of his actions.”
The ruling comes amid surging attacks on journalists in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza since Israel’s war on Gaza began.
The Committee to Protect Journalists reported Israel responsible for two-thirds of the 129 media workers killed worldwide in 2025, the deadliest year on record, citing a “persistent culture of impunity” and lack of transparent probes.
Reporters Without Borders called the Israeli army the “worst enemy of journalists” in its 2025 report, with nearly half of global reporter deaths in Gaza.
Foreign journalists face raids, arrests and intimidation. In late January 2026, Israel’s Supreme Court granted a delay on ruling a ban on foreign media access to Gaza.
