On September 15, 2025, the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha became the stage for a forceful denunciation of Israeli actions, as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed his nation's unwavering solidarity with Qatar in the face of what he described as “brutal and unjustified” Israeli aggression. Addressing a room charged with tension and urgency, Abbas declared, “Harming any Arab or Islamic state is a harm to all and their collective security.” His words, reported by QNA, underscored a growing sense of shared vulnerability and unity among Arab and Islamic nations in response to recent developments in the region.
President Abbas’s speech went beyond expressions of support. He called on the international community to step up and “hold Israel accountable for its crimes and repeated aggression against Arab and Islamic nations.” His appeal was not just for words but for “concrete and deterrent measures to prevent further attacks.” The Palestinian leader argued that the path to lasting security and stability in the Middle East hinges on “stopping the war of genocide, displacement, and theft of land and resources,” and ultimately, “ending the Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Abbas’s message was clear: the ongoing Israeli aggression, which he said has targeted not only Palestine but also other Arab and Islamic countries—most recently Qatar—demonstrates that “Israel's extremist right-wing government cannot be a partner in achieving security and stability in the region.” He insisted that only a “decisive Arab and Islamic stance,” combined with intervention from the United States and the UN Security Council, could halt what he labeled as “rogue practices by the occupying power.”
His remarks came at a time when the wider world is increasingly scrutinizing the intersection of corporate interests and the Israeli occupation. On September 16, 2025, a separate but related critique surfaced in a widely shared article that examined how global corporations, particularly Airbnb, have played a role in legitimizing Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The article, published by CounterPunch, argued that “corporations have colonial instincts; they see the land that has bred my bloodline as nothing but real estate.” For many Palestinians and their supporters, the commodification of occupied land for vacation rentals is not just a business issue—it’s a moral and legal crisis.
The controversy surrounding Airbnb is hardly new. Back in 2018, after mounting pressure from the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, Airbnb announced it would remove all listings in the West Bank. However, this decision was quickly reversed after legal threats from Israeli settlers. As the CounterPunch article noted, “Airbnb removed listings in the West Bank in 2018 but reinstated them after legal threats from settlers.” This reversal drew sharp criticism from activists and legal experts, who cited Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that “the occupier should not deport the original civilian population of the land they occupy.” The article argued that Israel’s ongoing settlement activity and the influx of foreign settlers are part of a broader annexation plan for the West Bank—a plan that corporate profit has only exacerbated.
Corporate involvement in the occupation is not limited to Airbnb. The article traced a historical line from the British colonial period, when organizations like the Jewish National Fund were buying and selling Palestinian land, to the present day, where modern companies “allow settlers to capitalize off of the stolen Palestinian land—land that is illegally occupied under the guise of international law.” The economic benefits derived from these activities, the article contended, help fund and legitimize the occupation, turning Palestinian suffering into a lucrative business model.
Legal challenges are now mounting. The Global Legal Action Network recently announced a trans-Atlantic lawsuit against Airbnb, alleging the company’s complicity in Israeli violence. The author of the CounterPunch article, reflecting on years of activism, wrote, “Calls for Airbnb to remove its listings in the West Bank have been made for almost a decade, especially here at CODEPINK. Although Airbnb may not be actively listening to the Palestinians when we say this is actively hurting us, they must surely listen to the lawsuits that are popping up against them.”
For many Palestinians, the issue is deeply personal. The author described the pain of growing up and being forced to hide their identity, writing, “I grew up telling the kids at school that I was from Jordan, because every time I said Palestine, I was met with a confused face and a, ‘What is that?’” The sense of invisibility and erasure is compounded by the knowledge that “the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians has been happening all these years, and just now, are people willing to glance at the bloody history of Palestine—and the ways to free the land that has been shackled in chains for my whole life and beyond.”
President Abbas, for his part, expressed deep appreciation for the support of Arab and Islamic countries in efforts to end the aggression, provide humanitarian aid, and achieve liberation from occupation. He praised the “efforts led by Qatar and Egypt” and extended gratitude to nations participating in the international peace conference in New York, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. According to QNA, Abbas lauded these collective efforts for “achieving further international recognition of the State of Palestine and mobilizing international support for its pursuit of freedom and independence.”
The convergence of diplomatic, legal, and grassroots activism is creating a complex and dynamic landscape. On one hand, political leaders like Abbas are pushing for decisive action at the highest levels, calling for intervention by the United States and the UN Security Council. On the other hand, activists are targeting the economic underpinnings of the occupation, urging boycotts and legal action against companies profiting from the status quo.
Yet, for all the speeches and lawsuits, the situation on the ground remains fraught. The CounterPunch article concluded with a powerful call to action: “Palestine is not a colonial or capitalistic venture for anyone or anything. I’d never allow my land to be exploited as a ‘beachside resort’ or ‘country cottage,’ and neither should anyone who proclaims themselves as Pro-Palestine. I urge you to look further into the actions we have against Airbnb and how to make it clear that people will not sit and watch the commodification of their land.”
As the world watches, the struggle for Palestinian rights and sovereignty is being fought on multiple fronts—diplomatic, legal, and economic. Whether this multifaceted approach will yield the “concrete and deterrent measures” President Abbas has called for remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the voices demanding justice, accountability, and an end to the occupation are louder and more coordinated than ever before.