Key facts
- The UN Human Rights Office added 61 companies to its list of firms operating in Israeli West Bank settlements.
- The updated database now comprises 214 companies.
- The list includes firms from Israel, France, Germany, China, the US, and Spain.
- Israeli pesticide maker ADAMA, part of Syngenta Group, and real estate firm Alony Hetz were among the newly added companies.
- Spain's Salvat Logistica, a newly added firm, stated its inclusion was surprising and inconsistent with facts.
- Companies previously on the list include travel agency Expedia and home-rental company Airbnb.
The United Nations Human Rights Office on Friday expanded its database of companies operating in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law. The list, first released in 2020, now includes 214 firms, with 61 new additions. These companies, primarily from Israel but also from countries including France, Germany, China, the US, and Spain, could face boycotts or divestment campaigns aimed at pressuring Israel over its settlement expansion.
Among the newly added firms are Israeli pesticides maker ADAMA, part of Chinese-owned Syngenta Group, and Israeli real estate investment holding company Alony Hetz. Spanish logistics company Salvat Logistica, also newly listed, expressed surprise and stated its inclusion was inconsistent with the facts, though a UN rights office spokesperson confirmed the company was contacted and given an opportunity to respond.
Companies already on the list include travel agency Expedia and home-rental company Airbnb. Israel has previously criticized the list, calling it a "distorted mechanism" created by a flawed body to "persecute" the Jewish state and asserting that companies are working legally. The UN rights office assessed companies based on confidential submissions across various sectors, including energy, food, hospitality, transport, and agriculture, for activities that violate the Palestinian right to self-determination.
Some companies, like British-registered online travel company Opodo and Spanish-domiciled eDreams, were removed from the original list after reassessment requests, as the UN found reasonable grounds they were no longer involved in such activities. eDreams had previously stated it would block listings of accommodation in illegal Israeli settlements. Palestinians seek the West Bank as part of a future independent homeland, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has largely supported settlers, with building increasing since the October 2023 Hamas attack and the subsequent Gaza war.