U.N. releases blacklist of 112 companies with ties to West Bank settlements
The UN human rights office released Wednesday a long-anticipated report which names companies with ties to Israeli West Bank settlements.
Full list of companies below.
The Office of the HCHR said it has reasonable grounds to believe that 112 business entities have ties to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, 94 based in Israel, and 18 in six other countries.
In 2019, the publication of a UN database of companies with business ties to Israeli settlements in the West Bank was delayed, drawing the ire of activists who campaigned for it for three years.
The issue has been highly sensitive as companies appearing in such a database could be targeted for boycotts or divestment aimed at stepping up pressure on Israel over its West Bank settlements, which most countries and the United Nations view as illegal. Goods produced there include fruit, vegetables and wine.
Bruno Stagno, Deputy Executive Director for Advocacy at Human Rights Watch, said that doing business with the listed companies “is to aid in the commission of war crimes.”
Stagno said in an official statement that “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.
“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,” he added.
“While the settlements as such are regarded as illegal under international law, this report does not provide a legal characterization of the activities in question, or of business enterprises’ involvement in them,” the office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said.
Anti-occupation activists around the world may use the report to pressure their governments not to invest in the companies listed in it. Nevertheless, companies blacklisted in the report are not expected to sustain immediate financial losses. The initial database is limited, and more companies are expected to be added to the list.
Israel and the United States have been holding intense talks in an attempt to stave off the draft resolution condemning Israeli settlements, according to which the UN must compile a list of all Israeli and international companies that operate directly or indirectly in West Bank settlements, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, while updating it once a year.
Blacklisted companies with business ties to West Bank settlements:
- Afikim Public Transportation Ltd.
- Airbnb Inc.
- American Israeli Gas Corporation Ltd.
- Amir Marketing and Investments in Agriculture Ltd.
- Amos Hadar Properties and Investments Ltd.
- Angel Bakeries
- Archivists Ltd.
- Ariel Properties Group
- Ashtrom Industries Ltd.
- Ashtrom Properties Ltd.
- Avgol Industries 1953 Ltd.
- Bank Hapoalim B.M.
- Bank Leumi Le-Israel B.M.
- Bank of Jerusalem Ltd.
- Beit Haarchiv Ltd.
- Bezeq, the Israel Telecommunication
- Corp Ltd.
- Booking.com B.V.
- C Mer Industries Ltd.
- Café Café Israel Ltd.
- Caliber 3
- Cellcom Israel Ltd.
- Cherriessa Ltd.
- Chish Nofei Israel Ltd.
- Citadis Israel Ltd.
- Comasco Ltd.
- Darban Investments Ltd.
- Delek Group Ltd.
- Delta Israel
- Dor Alon Energy in Israel 1988 Ltd.
- Egis Rail
- Egged, Israel Transportation Cooperative Society Ltd.
- Energix Renewable Energies Ltd.
- EPR Systems Ltd.
- Extal Ltd.
- Expedia Group Inc.
- Field Produce Ltd.
- Field Produce Marketing Ltd.
- First International Bank of Israel Ltd.
- Galshan Shvakim Ltd.
- General Mills Israel Ltd.
- Hadiklaim Israel Date Growers Cooperative Ltd.
- Hot Mobile Ltd.
- Hot Telecommunications Systems Ltd.
- Industrial Buildings Corporation Ltd.
- Israel Discount Bank Ltd.
- Israel Railways Corporation Ltd.
- Italek Ltd.
- JC Bamford Excavators Ltd.
- Jerusalem Economy Ltd.
- Kavim Public Transportation Ltd.
- Lipski Installation and Sanitation Ltd.
- Matrix IT Ltd.
- Mayer Davidov Garages Ltd.
- Mekorot Water Company Ltd.
- Mercantile Discount Bank Ltd.
- Merkavim Transportation Technologies Ltd.
- Mizrahi Tefahot Bank Ltd.
- Modi’in Ezrachi Group Ltd.
- Mordechai Aviv Taasiot Beniyah 1973 Ltd.
- Motorola Solutions Israel Ltd.
- Municipal Bank Ltd.
- Naaman Group Ltd.
- Nof Yam Security Ltd.
- Ofertex Industries 1997 Ltd.
- Opodo Ltd.
- Bank Otsar Ha-Hayal Ltd.
- Partner Communications Company Ltd.
- Paz Oil Company Ltd.
- Pelegas Ltd.
- Pelephone Communications Ltd.
- Proffimat S.R. Ltd.
- Rami Levy Chain Stores Hashikma Marketing 2006 Ltd.
- Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing Communication Ltd.
- Re/Max Israel
- Shalgal Food Ltd.
- Shapir Engineering and Industry Ltd.
- Shufersal Ltd.
- Sonol Israel Ltd.
- Superbus Ltd.
- Tahal Group International B.V.
- TripAdvisor Inc.
- Twitoplast Ltd.
- Unikowsky Maoz Ltd.
- YES
- Zakai Agricultural Know-how and inputs Ltd.
- ZF Development and Construction
- ZMH Hammermand Ltd.
- Zorganika Ltd.
- Zriha Hlavin Industries Ltd.
- Alon Blue Square Israel Ltd.
- Alstom S.A.
- Altice Europe N.V.
- Amnon Mesilot Ltd.
- Ashtrom Group Ltd.
- Booking Holdings Inc.
- Brand Industries Ltd.
- Delta Galil Industries Ltd.
- eDreams ODIGEO S.A.
- Egis S.A.
- Electra Ltd.
- Export Investment Company Ltd.
- General Mills Inc.
- Hadar Group
- Hamat Group Ltd.
- Indorama Ventures P.C.L.
- Kardan N.V.
- Mayer’s Cars and Trucks Co. Ltd.
- Motorola Solutions Inc.
- Natoon Group
- Villar International Ltd.
- Greenkote P.L.C.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO