Hotels In Japan Cancel Israeli Guest Reservation On The Grounds Of Gaza War Crime

UNSPLASH/Marten Bjork ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - Hotels in the city of Kyoto, Japan, allegedly canceled reservations for Israeli tourists for reasons of war crimes, which drew criticism from local officials because the hotel was deemed to have violated the rules.

Israeli tourists reportedly received a WhatsApp message from an employee of Hotel Material telling him the order scheduled for June had been canceled in response to the conflict in Gaza, according to the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo.

One of the confirmed messages to CNN reads: "We apologize to inform you that, because of the war crimes committed by members of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Palestine, we cannot accept objections from people we believe may have had ties to the Israeli army."

It is unclear why the hotel employee believed the person had ties to the Israeli army.

The traveler who received the WhatsApp message filed an initial complaint with the Israeli embassy in Tokyo. The Israeli guest can make a new reservation at another hotel in Kyoto and continue his journey as planned.

The embassy accused the hotel of "a clear case of discrimination" when news about the alleged incident went viral last week.

Hotel Material has not responded to several requests for comment from CNN, nor has it received a strong rebuke from the Kyoto city government, which accuses it of violating the Japanese Hotel Business Act.

"Our position is to provide safe, secure, and high-quality accommodation for residents and tourists, and we will respond firmly to situations that are not in line with this, as it is today," Kyoto city government representatives told CNN.