No new companies that profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestine were added to the list, but 15 have been removed from the UN Human Rights Council’s database of countries that do business in illegal Israeli Jewish settlements.
Why no new companies were added?
The reason that no additional direct or indirect supporters of the Israeli occupation and apartheid have been blacklisted, is due to the fact that the updated UN list was limited in scope.
This limitation resulted from budget restrictions and the fact that the UN rights office was only able to review the original list of 112 companies, spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani claimed during a press briefing.
Why is the timing of the report important?
The UN Human Rights office has said that the list was updated, and that 15 companies are no longer doing business with illegal Israeli settlements, the spokesperson said on Friday, Reuters reported.
The long-awaited update comes amid surging Israeli military raids, renewed illegal Jewish settler attacks and Palestinian resistance operations.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 179 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the year, as of June 24. The number includes 27 children. Several illegal Jewish settlers and Israeli soldiers have also been killed or wounded in Palestinian resistance attacks.
European Trade Union Confederation to Boycott Products Made in Illegal Jewish Settlements
How did Israel react to the report?
No official immediate comments from Israel were yet made in response to the UN report. But Israel has often labeled such UN-linked organizations as the Geneva-based Human Rights Council as anti-Israel or even anti-Semitic. Washington has always supported the Israeli depiction of any organization that criticizes Israel and those who sustain its illegal military occupation of Palestine.
The database was mandated by the UN Human Rights Council in 2016, but was not released until 2020. Civil society groups say the database is an important tool to ensure transparency around business activities in the West Bank and to prompt companies to rethink their activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Israeli Reports: Washington Suspends Support for Some Projects in Illegal West Bank Settlements
Who was removed from the database and who stayed?
Most of the firms named in the database when it was set up were domiciled in Israel but it also included international firms listed in the United States, Britain and France, among others.
“None of the companies were immediately available for comment. The U.N. rights office said that only 13 of the 112 companies listed cooperated on its update, without naming them,” Reuters reported.
Packaged food maker, General Mills, was one of only two international firms removed from the list. Among those that remained were online travel sites, Booking.com, Expedia and home-rental company Airbnb.
These Are the 15 companies that ended their business operations in illegal settlements, according to the UN:
Amnon Mesilot Ltd. – Israel
Ashtrom Properties Ltd – Israel
Avgol Industries 1953 Ltd. – Israel
Bank Otsar Ha-Hayal Ltd. – Israel
Brand Industries Ltd. – Israel
Citadis Israel Ltd. – Israel
Darban Investments Ltd. – Israel
Energix Renewable Energies Ltd. – Israel
General Mills Inc. – United States of America
General Mills Israel Ltd. – Israel
Indorama Ventures P.C.L. – Thailand
Jerusalem Economy Ltd. – Israel
Municipal Bank Ltd. – Israel
Pelegas Ltd. – Israel
Zorganika Ltd. – Israel
For the Full List, click HERE.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
