Booking Holdings Inc.
BKNG
Consumer Discretionary
3
exclusion reasons
2 themes
This page is part of our public exclusion list — a transparency tool that shows which companies we screen out and why. It is not investment advice, and it is not an accusation. But it is subject to change as our understanding of the facts evolves.
Texas AG $9.5M consumer protection settlement (2025) — deceptive pricing practices including hidden fees and misleading discount claims.
Booking Holdings Inc., through its subsidiary Booking.com, lists rental properties and hotel rooms in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and the occupied Syrian Golan. A 2025 United Nations report notes the company was included on a UN list for alleged complicity in rights violations. The report states Booking.com more than doubled its listings in these settlements, from 26 in 2018 to over 150 identified across 28 settlements.
In November 2023, a criminal complaint was filed with Dutch prosecutors against Booking.com, accusing the company of money laundering for profiting from activities in illegal Israeli settlements. Additional evidence was submitted to prosecutors in May 2024. The UN report frames this commercial activity as sustaining settlements, excluding Palestinians, and legitimizing annexation.
Booking Holdings, through its Booking.com platform, facilitates and profits from tourism accommodations in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. These settlements are widely recognized under international law as constituting a serious violation of the rights of Palestinians and are a core feature of the ongoing conflict and occupation. By listing properties in these settlements, the company’s commercial operations provide material support to an economic infrastructure that sustains the conflict and entrenches displacement.
Human rights organizations have filed legal complaints accusing Booking.com of “facilitating occupation” and profiting from war crimes. A May 2024 complaint argued that revenues from settlement properties constitute proceeds from criminal activities. Despite a stated commitment to provide transparent information to customers about listings in conflict-affected areas, the company continues to offer accommodations in several illegal settlements, as documented in a November 2025 report. This activity directly contravenes the affirmative defense for conflict zone operations, as the service provided is not an essential civilian necessity but rather tourism that normalizes and funds an unlawful situation.
Research Sources
1 organization
Related Exclusions
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Companies appear on our exclusion list based on our investment judgment — not because they've done anything illegal. This is a difference of values and opinion, not an accusation of wrongdoing. Exclusion does not constitute a recommendation against investing in any company, and absence from the list does not constitute a recommendation to invest.
This information is provided for educational and transparency purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Data is drawn from independent watchdogs, NGOs, government registries, and Ethical Capital's ongoing research — see Research Sources for the full list.
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