Fury as Italian hotel cancels Israeli couple’s booking and tells them they are ‘responsible for genocide’

An Italian hotel has sparked controversy by canceling a booking made by an Israeli couple who told them they were ‘responsible for the genocide’.

Patrik Ongaro, who runs the Garni Ongaro Hotel, has now deleted his social media after being accused of anti-Semitism and is facing an investigation by authorities.

The Jewish couple, who have not yet been identified, leaked a screenshot earlier this month of the message they received from the hotel in Selva di Cadore near Belluno, in Italy’s picturesque Dolomites.

It read: ‘Good morning, we inform you that the Israeli people as those responsible for the genocide are not welcome customers in our structure.

‘So if you would like to cancel your reservation, you are happy to do so and we will be happy to grant you a free cancellation.’

Details of the incident were revealed by Jewish groups in Italy and quickly shared online with the news-dominating Israeli media who demanded an investigation by authorities.

The Israeli embassy in Rome said it would discuss the issue with Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni’s government.

Walter De Cassan, regional Dolomites president of the Italian Hotel Association, said: “I have received confirmation from Isreal of the veracity of this incident and as an organization we condemn this action and distance ourselves from the hotel.

‘We have a duty to guarantee everyone as much hospitality as possible.’

The Jewish couple, whose identities are not yet known, leaked a screenshot of the message they received from the hotel

Regional Governor Luca Zaia said: “I am deeply disturbed by this and speechless about what happened.

‘I hope it’s not true because our local hospitality is nothing like that. I firmly believe that our tourist hospitality should be inclusive, apolitical and respectful of all. It’s totally unacceptable.’

The couple, from Tel Aviv and not identified, reported details of the incident to Israeli authorities but continued their holiday in Italy.

Speaking to the former Israeli ambassador to the Italian media in Rome, Dror Eydar said: “I have been in contact with the government about concrete sanctions against this hotel.”

On one website the hotel description states ‘Exposed to the sun all year round, with a private garden terrace and bordering a beautiful forest suitable for long summer walks and snowshoeing excursions in winter.

‘The very quiet hotel is ideal to relax and forget the hustle and stress of work.’

On Friday, the three-star hotel was not available on Booking.com – which gives it an 8.5 out of ten – and the website was also down.

A recent review on Booking.com praised it as a ‘family hotel with an extremely friendly owner and in a perfect location’.

Before closing his social media, Mr Ongaro posted a photo of himself sitting on a tree stump and revealed that he had “received threats from an unnamed Israeli organization.”

A recent review on Booking.com praised it as a ‘family hotel with an extremely friendly owner and in a perfect location’.

It added: ‘The breakfast choice covers exactly what I need and nothing more that would be lost.

‘There is parking for motorcycles and cars, everything perfectly arranged. And the views are amazing!’

A review on Tripadvisor said: ‘The owner was a very polite and nice man, he goes out of his way for his guests and is very hospitable.’

But the site added: ‘Tripadvisor has been made aware of recent media reports or events regarding this property, which may not be reflected in the reviews on this listing. ‘

Before closing his social media, Ongaro posted a photo of himself sitting on a tree stump and revealed that he had “received threats from an unnamed Israeli organization.”

He added: “This followed my refusal to accept Israeli clients because they are responsible for a genocide.

On Friday, the three-star hotel was not available on Booking.com – which gives it an 8.5 out of ten – and the website was also offline

“This doesn’t shock me, but it shows that if we all do something, no matter how small a difference we can make, and if some people feel uncomfortable, it means they are afraid of our actions.

“That said, if something happens to me, you’ll know why.”

Several people had expressed their support for him on Italian social media, but a Palestinian activist Ihab Hassan condemned him.

He wrote of

‘This is a collective punishment. I have many Israeli Jewish friends – people who travel the world and dedicate their lives to advocating peace and coexistence, and working tirelessly to end war.

“Refusing to accommodate individuals based on nationality or identity is not only wrong, it is a violent discriminatory act that is both illegal and morally bankrupt.”

A Booking.com spokesperson said: ‘We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind and in the rare event that we are alerted to discriminatory behavior by a property, we immediately investigate and remove the advertisement from our platform, just as we did in this case have done. aptitude.’