Europe’s sad record of hotels turning away Israeli tourists. All it takes is the wrong passport

A tourist books two nights at a B&B in Campiglia d’Orcia, Tuscany. When the B&B learns of her Israeli nationality, it sends her a message informing her that it supports the campaign accusing the State of Israel of genocide. “I’m sorry. I see you are Israeli. In the interests of transparency, we do not wish in any way to support the policies of the State of Israel and we categorically condemn those who practise systems of injustice and oppression,” wrote the B&B. “We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. I hope you understand.” At that point, the booking was not formally refused, but the atmosphere had already soured. The guest “realises” they are a moral problem and leaves. The establishment did not ask them whether they would vote for Ben Gvir or Smootrich or Netanyahu: the passport bearing the Star of David was enough. In a statement to the Jerusalem Post, the guest recounts: “I would never have imagined that in 2026 I would have such an experience in Europe. I approached them as a traveller, excited to visit Italy with my family. The moment they discovered I was Israeli, everything changed. I was judged not for anything I had said or done, but for the place where I was born and the passport I carry. As an Israeli Jew, this is terrifying and painful. European history should have taught us better.” During the invasion of Ukraine, Italy welcomed Russian tourists, distinguished between the country and its citizens, and avoided the ritual of renunciation.

No Italian hotelier has written: “Russian tourists are welcome if they disagree with Putin”. Because it was known – or people pretended to know – that a passport is not to blame. With Israelis, that distinction strangely disappears and everyone turns a blind eye. In the case of Israelis, discrimination is accepted. In defiance of the law which states: “It is never permissible to refuse a customer on personal or discriminatory grounds. It is forbidden to turn away a guest on the basis of: ethnicity or nationality; sexual orientation or gender identity; religion or political opinions.”

Take, for example, a hotel owner in Selva di Cadore, who told a group of Israelis: “As perpetrators of genocide, you are not welcome here.” Then there was the hotel in Bergamo: “The Jews killed Jesus, just as they are doing to the children of Gaza; I have banned them from my hotel.” Then there was the response an Israeli tourist was told by a farmhouse in Poggibonsi (also in Tuscany, which must have a major problem with Israeli Jews): “You’re welcome here if you disagree with Netanyahu”. The same occurred in Ragusa, where a hotel turned away an Israeli guest: “If you believe your government is acting appropriately, please cancel your booking.” There have been other cases in Europe. The manager of a holiday centre in Porté-Puymorens, in the French Pyrenees, refused entry to 150 Israeli children who had booked months earlier. In Bavaria, there was a hotel that ‘refuses Jews’. But Italy seems to hold the sad record for the number of hotels that do not welcome Israelis. Had such treatment been meted out to any other nationality, ethnic or religious group, it would have sparked a media and political scandal. In the case of the Israelis, the Italian Hotel Federation (Federalberghi) condemns the establishment, Booking removes it from its platform, politicians issue a brief statement of condemnation (if at all), and anti-Semitism goes back to looking for new targets to attack.