When you steal $10, it's like stealing a million dollars
In the hills south of Bethlehem, where one Palestinian family farmed terraced land for three generations, a rental listing now invites tourists to relax on a terrace and enjoy the view. A Guardian investigation has found that Booking.com advertises 41 properties across 14 Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank — land whose seizure international law, the Geneva Conventions, and a 2024 International Court of Justice ruling all characterize as illegal. The story is not only one of corporate policy or legal technicality, but of how commerce quietly absorbs dispossession, converting ancestral loss into amenity and scenic surroundings.
- A family's five hectares of farmland, seized in 1982 and absorbed into the Israeli settlement of Neve Daniel, now appears on Booking.com as a holiday rental with a garden, a picnic area, and a sea view.
- Advocacy group Ekō has documented 41 settlement properties listed across 14 illegal settlements, with listings concentrated around the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, and East Jerusalem — including two properties inside the old city itself.
- Dutch prosecutors are reviewing a criminal complaint arguing that revenue generated through these bookings may constitute money laundering under Dutch law, since the underlying commercial activity is tied to internationally condemned settlements.
- Booking.com added a small-print warning label for settlement properties in 2022, but it does not appear on individual listings — and the company maintains it is not its place to decide where people may or may not travel.
- Mohammad al-Sbeih, who has lost every legal challenge in Israeli courts since 1982, wept when shown the listing on his family's former land; movement restrictions since October 2023 now prevent him from even visiting the hillside where he once showed his children what was theirs.
Mohammad al-Sbeih grew up farming terraced hillsides south of Bethlehem, where his family had worked the same land for three generations. In 1982, Israeli authorities seized the five hectares, citing national security. The family brought title deeds and agricultural certificates to court; the other side brought nothing. They lost anyway. The plot sat empty for two decades before the settlement of Neve Daniel expanded across it.
Today, a property on that land is listed on Booking.com, advertising a garden terrace, a picnic area, and scenic views toward the sea — the same view al-Sbeih once pointed out to his children from a nearby hillside. A report by US advocacy group Ekō found 41 such rental properties listed across 14 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Rome Statute, and a July 2024 International Court of Justice advisory opinion, the transfer of civilian populations into occupied territory constitutes a war crime.
Booking.com, headquartered in the Netherlands, is now the subject of a criminal complaint reviewed by Dutch prosecutors, which argues that revenue from settlement-linked bookings may constitute money laundering under Dutch law. The company introduced a warning label for settlement properties in 2022, but it appears only in small print when searching by settlement name — not on individual listings. A spokesperson said the company does not believe it is its place to determine where people may travel. Airbnb, which listed 760 rooms across both platforms as of a February 2025 Guardian investigation, made a similar promise to remove settlement listings in 2018, then reversed course after legal challenges.
When researchers showed al-Sbeih the Booking.com listing last month, he wept. Movement restrictions imposed after October 2023 have since made it impossible for him to visit even the vantage point where he once stood with his grandchildren. He has measured the loss in the same terms regardless of the scale of the company profiting from it. 'When you steal ten dollars,' he said, 'it is like stealing a million — and you have to be judged the same way.'
Mohammad al-Sbeih grew up on a small farm in the hills south of Bethlehem, where his family had worked the same terraced land for three generations, growing wheat and barley. The work was hard—the hillside sloped steeply—but the place held something irreplaceable for him. "It was so beautiful," he remembers.
Today, that farm no longer exists. In 1982, Israeli authorities seized the family's five hectares of land, citing national security concerns. The Sbeihs brought documents to court—title deeds, an agricultural expert's certificate proving the land was actively farmed. The other side brought nothing. They lost anyway. For two decades the plot sat empty. Then the Israeli settlement of Neve Daniel expanded across it, and the family's ancestral ground became someone else's property.
Now, that land is generating revenue on Booking.com. A rental listing describes the house built there as offering guests a chance to "relax in the garden or on the terrace, enjoying the fresh air and scenic surroundings." The picnic area, the listing promises, is "ideal for outdoor gatherings." The view toward the sea—the same view al-Sbeih once showed his children from a nearby vantage point—is the property's chief selling point.
A new report by Ekō, a US-based advocacy group, found that Booking.com lists 41 rental properties across 14 illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The properties cluster in two main areas: the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea region, and the ring of settlements built around East Jerusalem, including two inside the old city. Under international law—the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute—the transfer of a civilian population into occupied territory constitutes a war crime. The International Court of Justice confirmed the illegality of these settlements in an advisory opinion issued in July 2024.
Booking.com's main operating company is headquartered in the Netherlands, where prosecutors are reviewing a criminal complaint filed by the European Legal Support Center. The complaint argues that settlement-linked bookings may constitute money laundering under Dutch law, since the underlying commercial activity is connected to illegal settlements. The company introduced a warning label for settlement properties in 2022, but it appears only in small print when searching by settlement name—not on individual property listings. A Booking.com spokesperson said the company believes "it's not our place to decide where someone can or cannot travel" and that it monitors the situation while applying its human rights principles.
Airbnb also advertises properties in settlements. A Guardian investigation in February 2025 found 760 rooms listed across both platforms. Airbnb promised to stop advertising settlement rentals in 2018, then reversed that decision months later after legal challenges from hosts and guests.
When Ekō researchers showed al-Sbeih a map of the Booking.com listing last month, he cried. His family has lost every legal battle in Israeli courts since 1982. Movement restrictions imposed after the Gaza war began in October 2023 have made it impossible for him to even visit the vantage point from which he once pointed out his family's land to his children and grandchildren. "I thought it should be my children and grandchildren in that beautiful spot," he said. "It was meant to be theirs." He understands Booking.com is a large company with investments worldwide, but he measures the theft the same way regardless of scale. "When you steal $10, it's like stealing a million dollars, and you have to be judged in the same way."
Citas Notables
It was a hard plot to farm as it was on a hillside with terraces, but it was so beautiful.— Mohammad al-Sbeih, recalling his family's farm
I thought it should be my children and grandchildren in that beautiful spot. It was meant to be theirs.— Mohammad al-Sbeih, after seeing the Booking.com listing
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
How does a family lose land they've worked for generations?
In this case, through a court decision in 1982 that cited national security. The Sbeihs presented documents proving they farmed it. The other side presented nothing. They lost anyway.
And then what happened to the land?
It sat empty for twenty years. The family couldn't visit—the military turned them back. Eventually the settlement expanded across it. Now there's a house there, and tourists book it online.
Does Booking.com know the land was seized?
They know it's in a settlement. They added a warning label in 2022, but it's small print, hidden in search results. It doesn't appear on the actual rental listing.
What does the company say when asked about this?
That it's not their place to decide where people can travel. They say they monitor the situation and apply their human rights principles.
Is there legal pressure on them?
Yes. Dutch prosecutors are reviewing a complaint that argues the bookings may constitute money laundering, since they're connected to illegal settlements. The International Court of Justice confirmed the settlements are illegal last year.
What does al-Sbeih want now?
He's not optimistic about redress. He's lost every court battle. But when he saw the listing, he cried. He said his children and grandchildren should have inherited that beautiful spot.