Spanish civil society takes eDreams to court over profits from illegal Israeli settlements

Three Spanish civil society organisations have filed a criminal complaint in Madrid accusing the multinational travel company eDreams of laundering profits derived from activity in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and the Occupied Syrian Golan, according to a press release issued yesterday.

The complaint, submitted to the Investigating Courts in Madrid by NOVACT, SUDS and Comité de Solidaridad Contra la Causa Árabe, alleges that by promoting, facilitating and monetising tourism in Israeli settlements, eDreams integrated proceeds linked to war crimes into the financial system as if they were lawful commercial income.

According to the complaint seen by MEMO, the legal basis for the filing is Article 301 of the Spanish Criminal Code, which criminalises the integration into the financial system of profits derived from crimes, including war crimes. The complaint argues that income generated from settlement tourism, including platform commissions, booking fees and referral revenues, must be treated as proceeds of war crimes.

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The groups turned to the courts after the Madrid Public Prosecutor declined to open an investigation. The prosecutor reportedly argued that neither the European Union nor Spain has an explicit ban on doing business in settlements. However, the organisations maintain that Spanish law on proceeds of crime does not require such a ban to be in place.

eDreams ODIGEO S.A., headquartered in Spain and listed on the Spanish stock exchange, is one of Europe’s largest online travel companies. It operates brands including eDreams, Opodo, GoVoyages, Travellink and Liligo, providing flight bookings, hotel reservations and holiday packages to millions of users worldwide.

The complaint relies on evidence collected by the Dutch research organisation SOMO and Centro Guernica G37 between September 2024 and October 2025. According to the documentation cited in the press release, researchers identified more than 43 accommodation listings on hotels.edreams.com in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the Occupied Syrian Golan. Several properties were fully bookable, and seven test bookings were completed in Spain between October 2024 and July 2025, with payments processed and confirmation emails issued.

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The press release states that on 3 September 2025 eDreams publicly announced it had disengaged from the OPT and that its hotels.edreams.com site subsequently went offline. However, follow-up research allegedly identified another platform, accommodation.edreams.es, branded as eDreams but operated by Travelscape LLC, a subsidiary of Expedia. 

In September 2025, 35 settlement listings reportedly remained active on the site and, in October, four reservations were completed for future dates. The complaint argues that although eDreams did not own the site, it received commissions for bookings made through it.

Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and are established and maintained through acts that constitute war crimes, including the transfer of the occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory and the unlawful appropriation and exploitation of land and natural resources. 

They complaint cites the July 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, which reaffirmed the illegality of Israel’s prolonged occupation and settlement enterprise and stated that states must “take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel.”

Under Spanish law, article 611.5 of the Criminal Code treats settlement-related acts, including the exploitation of occupied land, as war crimes. While article 614 punishes individuals who contribute to breaches of international humanitarian law, including article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the construction of settlements in occupied territory by an occupying power.

The complaint also highlights the business model of online travel platforms. According to eDreams’ financial accounts, since September 2022 its hotel business has relied on inventory from other platforms such as Booking.com and Expedia, including properties located in illegal settlements. The complaint argues that such corporate arrangements may allow companies to profit while distancing themselves from responsibility.

In an email to SOMO dated 14th January, eDreams said it takes “the allegations raised [by SOMO] very seriously” and stated that its “corporate position remains firm: it is not the intention of eDreams to generate business or revenue from accommodations located in the occupied Palestinian territories or the occupied Syrian Golan.” 

The company suggested that the listings identified in late 2025 “may be linked to a specific external technical integration” and described them as “isolated technical discrepancies”, adding that it was conducting an internal investigation.

Booking.com told SOMO on 16th January 2026 that its partnership with eDreams had ended in September 2025 and that it “no longer has any kind of commercial or technical relationship with eDreams.” A separate criminal complaint concerning Booking.com’s activities in relation to settlement listings is currently pending in the Netherlands.

According to the organisations, the case forms part of wider efforts to halt online travel agencies’ involvement in Israeli settlements, including legal actions in several European jurisdictions. Spanish courts are now being asked to determine whether online travel platforms have profited from activities rooted in war crimes and whether Spanish criminal law, including anti-money laundering provisions, can be enforced to ensure accountability.

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