United Nations Adds 61 Companies to Settlement-Linked List

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The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights announced on Friday the addition of 61 new companies to the database of companies linked to activities in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, bringing the total list to 214 companies.

According to Reuters, the list mainly includes Israeli companies, along with companies from 10 other countries, including the United States, France, Germany, and China.

The sectors reviewed by the UN human rights office include energy, food, hospitality, transportation, and agriculture, based on information and data provided to it.

The database dates back to 2020, when the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued its first list as part of a UN mandate concerning companies engaged in activities linked to settlements. The UN has previously confirmed in its reports that settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are inconsistent with international law.

Among the companies added this time is the Israeli pesticide company ADAMA, which is part of the China-owned Syngenta Group, and the Israeli real estate investment company Alony Hetz, along with the Spanish logistics company Salvat Logistica.

These companies join names already present in the database, including the home rental platform Airbnb and the travel company Expedia.

According to the United Nations, activities that could lead to companies being listed include providing equipment used in the demolition of Palestinian buildings, offering monitoring services for settlements, as well as transportation services and other activities that contribute to their continuation. The criteria stem from a range of activities identified by a UN fact-finding mission on settlements.

In contrast, about 60 other companies were evaluated but were not listed for failing to meet UN criteria.

The office also removed companies from the previous list after reassessing their situations. Among them were the online travel companies Opodo and eDreams, after the UN concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe they were no longer engaged in the activities that led to their previous listing.

For its part, the Israeli mission to the United Nations rejected the database, considering it a "distorted" mechanism created by a body it claimed has an automatic majority against Israel, accusing it of using the list to "persecute" the Jewish state.

Israel considers the West Bank disputed territory rather than occupied, while the international community views Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as illegal under international law. Previous UN reports have confirmed this legal stance regarding the settlements.

The list carries potential implications for the listed companies, as they may face pressure from investors or boycott campaigns and divestment due to their activities linked to the settlements.

This UN step comes amid rising international controversy over settlement expansion in the West Bank, which Palestinians want to be part of their future state, while several countries have recently intensified their measures related to commercial dealings with the settlements.