U.N. rights office lists companies it says have ties to Jewish settlements

Record ID: 1458105

  • Title: U.N. rights office lists companies it says have ties to Jewish settlements
  • Date: 12th February 2020
  • Summary: AMICHAI SETTLEMENT, WEST BANK (FILE - FEBRUARY 22, 2018) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CARAVAN BEING MOVED INSIDE SETTLEMENT CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES ON SITE
  • Embargoed: 26th February 2020 15:33
  • Keywords: Israel Israeli settlements Michelle Bachelet Palestinians United Nations human rights office West Bank companies
  • Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / JERUSALEM / ARIEL SETTLEMENT, AMICHAI SETTLEMENT & KOFOR MALEK, WEST BANK
  • City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / JERUSALEM / ARIEL SETTLEMENT, AMICHAI SETTLEMENT & KOFOR MALEK, WEST BANK
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: Government/Politics,United Nations
  • Reuters ID: LVA007C0B60QV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The United Nations human rights office issued a report on Wednesday (February 12) on companies it said have business ties to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, drawing ire from Israel but winning praise from Palestinians.
    It said it had identified 112 business entities which it has reasonable grounds to conclude have ties with Israeli settlements - 94 domiciled in Israel and 18 in six other countries including the United States, Britain and France.
    Inclusion on the list has no immediate legal implications for the companies. Though Palestinians and much of the world view the settlements as illegal under international law, the United States and Israel dispute this.
    But the issue is highly sensitive as companies named could be targeted for boycotts or divestment aimed at stepping up pressure on Israel over its West Bank settlements.
    OHCHR spokesman, Rupert Colville, said in videotaped remarks made available to reporters that work on the report involved extensive cross-checking and use of company annual reports.
    He said it was "not a blacklist, nor does it qualify any companies' activities as illegal."
    There was no immediate reaction by the United States, Israel's main ally, but Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called the report a "shameful capitulation" to anti-Israel groups.
    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear he considered the U.S. government's position on settlements under President Donald Trump as more important than the views of U.N. organizations.
    "We will ensure the (U.S.) recognition of our sovereignty over those settlements - that will cancel out the entire impact of the United Nations because the United States is more important than the U.N.," he told Army Radio.
    Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki welcomed the report as a "victory for international law" and urged U.N. member states to issue instructions to the companies listed "to end their work immediately with the settlement system."
    (Production: Cecile Mantovani)
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