The manager of a small hotel in northern Italy refused a reservation made by an Israeli couple, accusing Israeli people of being "responsible for genocide," a Jewish organization in Venice reported on Thursday.
The couple had booked two nights for the beginning of November at the Hotel Garni Ongaro in Selva di Cadore, a mountain village surrounded by the Dolomites, using the Booking.com online reservation platform.
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," said Dario Calimani, the president of the Jewish Community of Venice. "When you don't agree with what Israel does, you spread hatred against all Israelis."
