The manager of a small hotel in northern Italy has refused a reservation of an Israeli couple, accusing the Israelis of being “responsible for genocide”, a Jewish organization in Venice reported, cited by the Associated Press and BTA.
The couple has booked two nights for the beginning of November at the “Garni Ongaro“ in the municipality of Selva di Cadore, using the online booking platform Booking.
A day before their departure, the tourists received a message from the hotel staff, which read: “Good morning. Please be advised that Israelis in their capacity as perpetrators of genocide are not welcome customers at our facility.“
After that, the hotel manager urged the tourists to cancel their reservation and added that he “will be happy to provide them with a free cancellation option”. The hotel manager has since closed his Facebook account and was not immediately available for comment by the AP.
The incident drew the attention of Israel's Foreign Ministry, which confirmed it was investigating the matter. Steps have also been taken to ask Booking to remove the hotel from its platform. The AP has reached out to the platform for comment.
The regional governor of the Veneto region, Luca Dzaia, described the incident as “extremely serious”. “I am deeply disturbed and shocked by what has happened,” he said. “Veneto must ensure that its doors are open to all.“
Over the past year, against the background of the war in Gaza, cases of anti-Semitism have increased in Italy, including acts of racism and discrimination against Jews. Last month, a mural depicting a survivor of the attack by "Hamas" was vandalized in Milan. against Israel on October 7 last year, killing about 1,200 people in Israel.