Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, JCB, Opodo, TripAdvisor and Motorola among 112 firms named by the Human Rights Council

The UN Human Rights Council (OHCHR) has released a long-anticipated list of companies that operate in illegal Israeli settlements.

More than 100 companies are listed in the document, including 18 international companies, who are working in settlements across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

International companies placed in the document include Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, JCB, Opodo, TripAdvisor and Motorola Solutions. 

Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said the list was conducted "after an extensive and meticulous review process".

“I am conscious this issue has been and will continue to be, highly contentious,” Bachelet said in a statement.

“However, after an extensive and meticulous review process, we are satisfied this fact-based report reflects the serious consideration that has been given to this unprecedented and highly complex mandate, and that it responds appropriately to the Human Rights Council’s request contained in resolution 31/36.” 

Business enterprise		State concerned
1	Afikim Public Transportation Ltd.	Israel
2	Airbnb Inc.	United States
3	American Israeli Gas Corporation Ltd.	Israel
4	Amir Marketing and Investments in Agriculture Ltd.	Israel
5	Amos Hadar Properties and Investments Ltd.	Israel
6	Angel Bakeries	Israel
7	Archivists Ltd.	Israel
8	Ariel Properties Group	Israel
9	Ashtrom Industries Ltd.	Israel
10	Ashtrom Properties Ltd.	Israel
11	Avgol Industries 1953 Ltd.	Israel
12	Bank Hapoalim B.M.	Israel
13	Bank Leumi Le-Israel B.M.	Israel
14	Bank of Jerusalem Ltd.	Israel
15	Beit Haarchiv Ltd.	Israel
16	Bezeq, the Israel Telecommunication Corp Ltd.	Israel
17	Booking.com B.V.	Netherlands
18	C Mer Industries Ltd.	Israel
19	Café Café Israel Ltd.	Israel
20	Caliber 3	Israel
21	Cellcom Israel Ltd.	Israel
22	Cherriessa Ltd.	Israel
23	Chish Nofei Israel Ltd.	Israel
24	Citadis Israel Ltd.	Israel
25	Comasco Ltd.	Israel
26	Darban Investments Ltd.	Israel
27	Delek Group Ltd.	Israel
28	Delta Israel	Israel
29	Dor Alon Energy in Israel 1988 Ltd.	Israel
30	Egis Rail	France
31	Egged, Israel Transportation Cooperative Society Ltd.	Israel
32	Energix Renewable Energies Ltd.	Israel
33	EPR Systems Ltd.	Israel
34	Extal Ltd.	Israel
35	Expedia Group Inc.	United States
36	Field Produce Ltd.	Israel
37	Field Produce Marketing Ltd.	Israel
38	First International Bank of Israel Ltd.	Israel
39	Galshan Shvakim Ltd.	Israel
40	General Mills Israel Ltd.	Israel
41	Hadiklaim Israel Date Growers Cooperative Ltd.	Israel
42	Hot Mobile Ltd.	Israel
43	Hot Telecommunications Systems Ltd.	Israel
44	Industrial Buildings Corporation Ltd.	Israel
45	Israel Discount Bank Ltd.	Israel
46	Israel Railways Corporation Ltd.	Israel
47	Italek Ltd.	Israel
48	JC Bamford Excavators Ltd.	United Kingdom
49	Jerusalem Economy Ltd.	Israel
50	Kavim Public Transportation Ltd.	Israel
51	Lipski Installation and Sanitation Ltd.	Israel
52	Matrix IT Ltd.	Israel
53	Mayer Davidov Garages Ltd.	Israel
54	Mekorot Water Company Ltd.	Israel
55	Mercantile Discount Bank Ltd.	Israel
56	Merkavim Transportation Technologies Ltd.	Israel
57	Mizrahi Tefahot Bank Ltd.	Israel
58	Modi'in Ezrachi Group Ltd.	Israel
59	Mordechai Aviv Taasiot Beniyah 1973 Ltd.	Israel
60	Motorola Solutions Israel Ltd.	Israel
61	Municipal Bank Ltd.	Israel
62	Naaman Group Ltd.	Israel
63	Nof Yam Security Ltd.	Israel
64	Ofertex Industries 1997 Ltd.	Israel
65	Opodo Ltd.	United Kingdom
66	Bank Otsar Ha-Hayal Ltd.	Israel
67	Partner Communications Company Ltd.	Israel
68	Paz Oil Company Ltd.	Israel
69	Pelegas Ltd.	Israel
70	Pelephone Communications Ltd.	Israel
71	Proffimat S.R. Ltd.	Israel
72	Rami Levy Chain Stores Hashikma Marketing 2006 Ltd.	Israel
73	Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing Communication Ltd.	Israel
74	Re/Max Israel	Israel
75	Shalgal Food Ltd.	Israel
76	Shapir Engineering and Industry Ltd.	Israel
77	Shufersal Ltd.	Israel
78	Sonol Israel Ltd.	Israel
79	Superbus Ltd.	Israel
80	Supergum Industries 1969 Ltd.	Israel
81	Tahal Group International B.V.	Netherlands
82	TripAdvisor Inc.	United States
83	Twitoplast Ltd.	Israel
84	Unikowsky Maoz Ltd.	Israel
85	YES	Israel
86	Zakai Agricultural Know-how and inputs Ltd.	Israel
87	ZF Development and Construction	Israel
88	ZMH Hammermand Ltd.	Israel
89	Zorganika Ltd.	Israel
90	Zriha Hlavin Industries Ltd.	Israel
91	Alon Blue Square Israel Ltd.	Israel
92	Alstom S.A.	France
93	Altice Europe N.V.	Netherlands
94	Amnon Mesilot Ltd.	Israel
95	Ashtrom Group Ltd.	Israel
96	Booking Holdings Inc.	United States
97	Brand Industries Ltd.	Israel
98	Delta Galil Industries Ltd.	Israel
99	eDreams ODIGEO S.A.	Luxembourg
100	Egis S.A.	France
101	Electra Ltd.	Israel
102	Export Investment Company Ltd.	Israel
103	General Mills Inc.	United States
104	Hadar Group	Israel
105	Hamat Group Ltd.	Israel
106	Indorama Ventures P.C.L.	Thailand

The report also noted that 60 companies had been taken off a previous list compiled by the OHCHR.

The list came after the Human Rights Council passed resolution 31/36 in 2016 and requested information on companies "involved in certain specified activities related to the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory".

Former UN High Commissioner Zeid Raad al-Hussein also confirmed that the companies listed came from information that was publicly available and from a variety of sources. 

Companies listed, according to the rights council, have facilitated the construction of settlements, supplied surveillance equipment for them, or provided security services to enterprises operating there.

Israeli settlements in land conquered by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war are deemed illegal under international law. 

Other categories mentioned in the report include supplying equipment for demolition of housing and partaking in practices that "disadvantage" Palestinian businesses via the use of restrictions to movement. 

Commenting on the release of the list, the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, said the UN was "significant" but "incomplete".

"The database is incomplete. All companies that are complicit in Israel's apartheid regime and its grave violations of Palestinian rights under international law must be added to ensure accountability," BDS said in a statement.  

Bruno Stagno, deputy executive director for advocacy at Human Rights Watch, said it should put all companies intending to work in Israeli settlements "on notice". 

“The long-awaited release of the UN settlement business database should put all companies on notice: to do business with illegal settlements is to aid in the commission of war crimes," Stagno said in a statement. 

"The database marks critical progress in the global effort to ensure businesses end complicity in rights abuse and respect international law. The UN’s top rights body should ensure that the database is regularly updated to assist companies in complying with their international legal obligations.”

Last year, several rights groups criticised the "unexplained" and "open-ended" delay in the release of the UN database. No reason, however, was given by the rights council for the continued delay behind the blacklist's release. 

 

Source: Areeb Ullah ,Middle East Eye