By GIADA ZAMPANOThe manager of a small hotel in northern Italy refused a reservation made by an Israeli couple, accusing Israeli people of being “responsible for genocide.” Jewish groups decried the incident as an example of antisemitism. A day before their departure, they received a message from the hotel’s staff: “Good morning. We inform you that the Israeli people as those responsible for genocide are not welcome customers in our structure.”The hotel manager then invited the tourists to cancel their reservation, adding they “would be happy to grant free cancellation.” The manager has since closed his Facebook profile, and he wasn't immediately available for comment. “I feel infinite sadness for the ignorance shown by certain people,” Dario Calimani, the president of the Jewish Community of Venice, said on Thursday. Word of the hotel incident came on the same day that former hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and their relatives met at the Vatican with Pope Francis.

Source: The Guardian November 16, 2024 03:22 UTC