Latest news with #settlements
Hospitality Net
11-06-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
What website accessibility overlays don't protect you from
If you're in the hospitality industry, chances are you've invested in tools or vendors promising to make your website 'ADA compliant.' Maybe you've added overlays, run automated scans, or even rebuilt your site with accessibility in mind. You did everything right—or so you thought. So, why are hotels still getting hit with accessibility lawsuits? Here's the uncomfortable truth: Nothing can stop a frivolous lawsuit. Accessibility tools are helpful—they flag issues, automate fixes, and support screen readers and keyboard navigation. But what they can't do is stop a legal complaint from landing in your inbox. Here's what most accessibility tools don't protect you from: 1. Frivolous Lawsuits Automated demand letters are being sent to hotels regardless of whether their websites meet WCAG guidelines. Sometimes, these claims aren't even based on real user experiences—just third-party 'testers' looking for quick settlements. If your brand is recognizable or your property is in a high-profile location? You're an even bigger target. 2. Settlement Fees Most hotels settle, not because they're guilty, but because it's faster and cheaper than fighting. These settlements can cost thousands of dollars and add up fast, especially for hotel groups with multiple properties. 3. Legal Fees Even if you choose to fight, your accessibility tools won't help cover attorney costs. Whether you're paying a lawyer to respond to a demand letter or entering litigation, the fees can be substantial, and none of it is covered by your widget. Why does this matter? You bought the product. You paid for the audit. You assumed you were safe. You're not alone. Many hotel owners and marketing teams believe they've 'checked the box' and can move on. But website accessibility isn't a one-and-done situation, it's a moving target. No tool will make you lawsuit-proof. But transparency, documentation, and a realistic view of the legal landscape can help you navigate this complex issue — and protect your hotel from being an easy target. Want to learn more about how Tambourine's Accessibility Protection Service is protecting hotels from frivolous lawsuits, legal fees, and settlement costs? Let's talk. This article was originally published on Instrumental Tactics. Thomas McDermott Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing +1 954 975 2220 Tambourine
CTV News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Canada, U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Norway sanction 2 far-right Israeli Cabinet ministers
Surrounded by security guards, Israel's far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, centre, participates in march marking Jerusalem Day, an Israeli holiday celebrating the capture of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, in Damascus Gate of Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) JERUSALEM — Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway said Tuesday they have imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers for allegedly 'inciting extremist violence' against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich face asset freezes and travel bans from the five countries. The ministers are champions of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The decision by Western governments friendly to Israel was a sharp rebuke of Israel's settlement policies in the West Bank and of settler violence, which has spiked since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. The five countries' foreign ministers said in a joint statement that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich 'have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous.' Israel's Foreign Ministry said earlier it had been informed of the sanctions. Smotrich, the country's finance minister, wrote on social media that he found out that Britain had decided to sanction him for obstructing the viability of a Palestinian state. 'We are determined to continue building,' he said. 'We overcame Pharoah, we'll overcome Starmer's Wall.' Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, wrote on social media. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the move 'outrageous.' He said he had discussed it with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and they would meet next week to discuss Israel's response. The Biden administration took the rare step of sanctioning radical Israeli settlers implicated in violence in the occupied West Bank -- sanctions that were then lifted by President Donald Trump. Eitay Mack, an Israeli human rights lawyer who spent years campaigning for the sanctions on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir -- along with violent West Bank settlers -- described the move as 'historic.' 'It means the wall of immunity that Israeli politicians had has been broken,' he said. 'It's unbelievable that it took so long for Western governments to sanction Israeli politicians, and the fact that it's being done while Trump is president is quite amazing,' said Mack. 'It is a message to Netanyahu himself that he could be next.' Israel captured the West Bank along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want those territories for their hoped-for future state. Settlement growth and construction have been promoted by successive Israeli governments stretching back decades, but it has exploded under Netanyahu's far-right coalition, which has settlers in key Cabinet posts. There are now well over 100 settlements and 500,000 Israeli settlers sprawling across the territory from north to south -- a reality, rights groups say, dimming any hopes for an eventual two-state solution. ——- AP Correspondent Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report. Julia Frankel, The Associated Press
Associated Press
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Israel says the U.K. is sanctioning 2 Cabinet ministers
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel says it has been informed that the United Kingdom will sanction two of its Cabinet ministers. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar did not provide their names in public remarks on Tuesday when he confirmed the news, but it appeared the sanctions would target Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right champions of Israeli settlements. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich both acknowledged the sanctions on social media, and Smotrich confirmed he was the target in his post.
Al Jazeera
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Pattern of defiance: Israel expands settlements in face of Western pressure
Israel's international allies are growing louder in their condemnation of its war on Gaza and its continued construction of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. United Nations experts, human rights groups and legal scholars have all previously told Al Jazeera that Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza and committing abuses that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank. And yet less than two weeks after receiving a stern warning from its Western allies, Israel approved 22 illegal settlements in the West Bank, amounting to what has been described as the largest land grab since Israeli and Palestinian leaders inked the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993. 'Israel is all about showing [the world] who calls the shots. They are saying … you can condemn us all you want, but in the end, you will bow down to us and not the other way around,' said Diana Buttu, a legal scholar and political analyst focused on Israel and Palestine. The Oslo Accords were ostensibly aimed at creating a Palestinian state, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital. However, in practice, Israel has continued to expand illegal settlements and render the two-state solution impossible, analysts told Al Jazeera. Israel has often announced the building of new illegal settlements in response to signals of support for Palestinian statehood from the UN or its allies. In 2012, Israel went so far as to approve 3,000 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank after the Palestinian Authority (PA) – the entity created out of the Oslo Accords to govern swaths of the West Bank – was granted non-member observer status in the UN General Assembly. Last year, Israel's far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, warned that a new illegal settlement would be built for every country that recognises a Palestinian state. The announcement came after Spain, Norway, and Ireland took the symbolic step in May 2024. 'I certainly think there is a pattern where Israel responds to pressure regarding its occupation – or anything else – by announcing settler expansion,' said Omar Rahman, an expert focused on Israel and Palestine for the Middle East Council for Global Affairs. 'We see that pattern repeated over and over again,' he told Al Jazeera. As global pressure mounts against Israel's war on Gaza, Israel has continued to test the patience of its allies. On May 21, Israeli troops fired warning shots at a group of European, Asian and Arab diplomats who were on an official mission to assess the humanitarian crisis in Jenin refugee camp, which has been subjected to a months-long attack and siege by the Israeli army since the start of the year. 'I don't know where the red line is. It is clear that there is no red line,' said Buttu. After Zionist militias ethnically cleansed some 750,000 Palestinians to make way for the state of Israel in 1948 – an event referred to as the 'Nakba' or catastrophe – Israel has increasingly annexed and occupied the little that remains of Palestinian land. Annexation of the occupied West Bank has accelerated in recent years thanks to far-right settlers who occupy positions in the Israeli government, said Khaled Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. He believes Israel was always planning to approve the 22 illegal settlements irrespective of the joint statement issued by France, the UK and Canada, as it fit in with the state's ultimate goal of expanding Jewish settlement of the occupied West Bank. 'Nobody can really think that if those countries didn't issue an announcement that [further] annexation wasn't going to happen. Of course, it was going to happen,' he told Al Jazeera. Rahman, from the Middle East Council, believes Israel's tactic of announcing pre-planned settlement expansion in the face of Western pressure simply aims to dissuade its allies from taking concrete action. He suspects Canada, the UK and France will likely not slap on targeted sanctions against Israeli officials, as they have threatened to do, instead using the argument that any moves against Israel will lead to a backlash against Palestinians. '[Canada, UK and France] may say they are acting for the preservation of the two-state solution by not doing anything to save the two-state solution,' Rahman told Al Jazeera. Analysts believe that sanctions on Israel would be the only way to rescue the two-state solution and end Israel's war on Gaza, but accept that comprehensive sanctions against the Israeli state would still be unlikely at this stage. Instead, Western countries like Canada, France and the UK may target sanctions at the far-right ministers most associated with pro-settler policies, Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. 'These men … are trying to jam in everything they can do now because they know there is no guarantee they will maintain their positions of power indefinitely,' Elgindy told Al Jazeera. Buttu fears that European countries will merely resort to more symbolic measures such as 'recognising Palestine', which will have little impact on the ground. 'By the time everyone gets around to recognising Palestine, there won't be any land [for Palestinians] left,' she told Al Jazeera.
Arab News
05-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
German foreign minister tells Israeli counterpart to allow more aid into Gaza
BERLIN: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip at a press conference with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar in Berlin on Thursday, again calling for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into the enclave. Wadephul also decried the Israeli government's announcement that it would allow 22 more settlements in the West Bank. Germany would continue to deliver weapons to Israel, he added, saying the country needed to defend itself.
