Intel: Why Israel is turning to US states to fight Airbnb’s West Bank boycott

Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan is turning to US governors to retaliate against online rental operator Airbnb for its decision to delist Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The Times of Israel reports that Erdan, who is tasked with combatting the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, made his case in a letter to the governors of Florida, Illinois, California, New York and Missouri.

Erdan denounced Airbnb’s decision as anti-Semitic and called on the governors to “consider speaking out against the company’s decision and taking any other relevant steps, including in relation to commercial dealings.”

Why it matters: Four of the five states already have anti-boycott laws or executive actions on the books, while similar legislation is pending in the Missouri state legislature. Civil liberties organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union have questioned the constitutionality of many of these laws.