An Israeli tourist books a stay for herself and her family at a farmhouse in Tuscany, but the owner places a barrier at the entrance to the facility: she must declare her political position on the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. The story was reported by some Israeli online media and relaunched on social media.
The message before arrival
Shortly before arriving, the woman received an unexpected message from the owner of the property via the booking platform. “If you don’t agree with your government’s policy, you’re welcome – the text of the message spread on social media -. If you agree with it, you know what I think and if you want to cancel the booking I won’t charge you any penalty. I’m very sorry to have had to point out all this. We live in terrible times. Kind regards”.
The hotelier explained that he was not “anti-Semitic”, but that he was unable to “pretend nothing happened” regarding the war in Gaza. For this reason he asked the customer what her position was regarding the choices of the Israeli government, adding that, if he had wanted to cancel the booking after knowing her point of view, he would not have applied any penalty
The reaction of the Israeli tourist
Faced with the message, the tourist declared that she was deeply shocked, canceling the reservation and accepting the proposed free cancellation. He then posted screenshots of the conversation on Facebook, as well as filing a formal complaint with the platform. The buzz that started online has generated an online boycott campaign against the Tuscan structure.
The owner: “They are massacring me, but it can’t be done like with Hitler”
Interviewed by the AdnKronos agency, the owner confirmed the message, giving his point of view and defending his choice. “You spread this message on Facebook, left and right, in the newspapers. Now they are massacring me, they are boycotting my facility. But I am also receiving many certificates of solidarity, fortunately also from Israeli Jews who can no longer stand this situation.”
“I’m not one of those who say ‘Boycott Israel, no one’s coming’. I told her what I thought, then she decided whether to come or not,” the owner said, adding that, to avoid profiting from a late cancellation, he offered to waive the penalty, an option otherwise not included in the booking terms.
The man wanted to explain his attitude with a historical comparison: “I am for peace in that area. Extremism on both sides has won. However, I cannot accept having to pretend nothing happened in front of someone who approves of certain methods. As I imagine in Hitler’s time in front of those who approved of the methods of the SS”.
The precedents
Similar cases had occurred in previous years, such as at the end of August 2025, when a hotel in Ragusa, Sicily, unilaterally canceled the booking of a group of Israeli tourists. The reason given by the structure was closely linked to the situation in the Gaza Strip.
In May 2025, in the historic center of Naples, a discussion between two Israeli tourists and the owner of a tavern degenerated into an argument which was filmed and posted on social media: the owner had communicated to the patrons the establishment’s participation in the “Spaces free from Israeli apartheid” campaign. The tourists accused the restaurateur in English of anti-Semitism and support for terrorism, with the owner replying: “You can go, I don’t want your money.”
Or again in 2024, in the Belluno area, when the owner of a hotel unilaterally canceled the booking of two tourists from Tel Aviv by sending the message: “You are responsible for genocide”.