Israeli Couple Denied Stay by Hotel Accusing Israeli People of 'Genocide'

An Israeli couple found themselves denied their stay at a hotel in Italy after the manager accused Israeli people of "genocide" amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Jewish groups have decried the incident as an example of antisemitism.

The couple reserved a two-night stay in early November at the Hotel Garni Ongaro in Selva di Cadore, a picturesque mountain village in the Dolomites, through the online booking platform Booking.com.

Couple's Reservation Denied

Just one day before the couple was set to depart on their trip, they received a message from the hotel's manager which said, "Good morning. We inform you that the Israeli people as those responsible for genocide are not welcome customers in our structure."

The hotel manager added in his message that they "would be happy to grant free cancellation." The manager has since deactivated his Facebook profile and was not immediately available for comment though this social media platform.

Newsweek also contacted the hotel on Friday via email for comment.

The Jewish Community Responds

Following the incident, Dario Calimani, the president of the Jewish Community of Venice said, "I feel infinite sadness for the ignorance shown by certain people."

"When you don't agree with what Israel does, you spread hatred against all Israelis," Calimani added.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has launched an investigation into the incident and has taken steps to request that Booking.com delist the hotel from its platform. Booking.com did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Luca Zaia, who serves as the governor of the Veneto region in Italy, said the situation involving the hotel is "extremely serious."

"I feel deeply disturbed and I'm shocked by what has happened," Zaia said. "Veneto must guarantee its doors are open to all."

Antisemitism in Italy

The incident comes amid a rise in antisemitic incidents across Italy over the past year, with increasing reports of racism and discrimination against Jewish communities.

In Milan last month, a mural was defaced honoring a survivor of the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, which left approximately 1,200 Israelis dead, 250 people held hostage, with 100 with still missing and many believed to be dead. This action by Hamas sparked the current conflict, which has led to 43,000 Gazans being killed according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The Antisemitism Observatory in Milan has also reported a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents, now averaging 80 to 90 per week over the past year, compared to 30 per week previously.

News of the hotel incident surfaced on the same day that former hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and their families met with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Pope Francis met with Yelena Troufanov, one of the hostages who was freed last November. Her son, Sasha, remains in Gaza and was shown in a video released Wednesday by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group.

"You see in the picture how my child has changed over the course of this year," Troufanov said during a news conference in Rome on Thursday. "I am very worried about his condition, I see that he is not in a good mental state and not in a good physical state."

This includes reporting from The Associated Press.