A hotel in Kyoto, Japan, reportedly canceled an Israeli tourist’s reservation due to accusations of Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
According to CNN, Hotel Material in Kyoto informed the Israeli tourist that they could not accommodate him because of alleged war crimes committed by the Israeli army.
“We are sorry to inform you that, due to reports of possible war crimes being committed by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) members in the conflict taking place in Gaza between Israel and Palestine, we are not able to accept reservations from persons we believe might have ties to the Israeli army,” the hotel said in a statement.
Explaining the decision, Jeronimo Gehres, the manager of Hotel Material, further said that providing lodging to individuals “who might have assisted or might be assisting in the execution of warfare activities forbidden by international humanitarian law based on the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols could put us at risk of being considered accomplices and/or accessories to a person who could be facing prosecution for war crimes.”
The tourist, who lodged a complaint with the Israeli embassy, managed to book another hotel in Kyoto and continued his trip. The Israeli Embassy denounced the incident as “a clear case of discrimination.”
It should be noted that at least 37,347 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began eight months ago. Dire shortages of food and other essentials in the Gaza Strip have been exacerbated by overland access restrictions and the closure of the key Rafah crossing with Egypt since Israeli forces seized its Palestinian side in early May.
