Israel said on Tuesday it would fight a plan by online travel agency Booking.com to add a safety warning to its listings in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Israel's tourism minister Yoel Razvozov condemned the move as a politically-motivated decision, while a senior Palestinian official welcomed the move, provided it only applied to Jewish settlements.
Mr Razvozov said he had written to Booking.com and threatened "diplomatic war" by his government to reverse the "political" decision, Reuters reported.
He played down the possibility that the West Bank, parts of which have seen a surge in Israeli-Palestinian violence in recent months, may be dangerous for foreign visitors.
"Millions of tourists visit Israel, including this area," he told Israel's Ynet TV. "In the end of the day, there is no problem."
The West Bank, which Israel captured in 1967, is among territories where Palestinians seek statehood.
Most nations deem Israel's settlements there illegal. It disputes that, describing the West Bank as a Biblical birthright for Jews and a defensive bulwark against potential attack, although there has not been a major conventional war in the occupied territory since 1967.
A representative for Amsterdam-based Booking.com said on Monday that it planned to "display ... banners and notifications to customers related to relevant local safety considerations" for listings in the West Bank, similar to its labels for Ukraine and Cyprus.
Violence in the West Bank has surged in recent months after Israel stepped up raids into the territory following a spate of deadly Palestinian street attacks in Israel.
The Booking.com representative did not provide any indication that the company, whose website describes the West Bank as "Palestinian Territory", was taking a position on the territory's status.
The Palestinian Tourism Ministry withheld comment, saying it had not officially been informed of the decision.
Wasel Abu Youssef, a senior official in the umbrella Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), voiced conditional approval.
"If there is such a decision, it must focus on the colonial settlements of the Israeli occupation," he told Reuters.
Booking.com, owned by US company Bookings Holdings, said the final details and implementation date of the listings warning were still being discussed by the company.
In 2018, Airbnb said it would delist settlement properties, but backed off following protests by Israel and legal challenges in some US states.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
