UN adds 68 companies to blacklist for business ties to Israeli

Defence affairs - Def-Geopolitics

The United Nations has added nearly 70 more companies to a blacklist of firms from 11 countries that it says are complicit in violating Palestinian human rights through their business ties to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The new list spotlights companies that do business that’s deemed supportive of the settlements, which are considered by many to be illegal under international law. It includes an array of companies like vendors of construction materials and earth-movers, as well as providers of security, travel and financial services.

The list, formally known as a “database of companies,” now contains 158 companies — the vast majority Israeli. The others are from the United States, Canada, China, Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Newcomers to the list include German building materials company Heidelberg Materials, Portuguese rail systems provider Steconfer, and Spanish transportation engineering firm Ineco. Among those still on the list are travel-sector companies US-based Expedia Group, Booking Holdings Inc. and Airbnb, Inc.

While 68 new companies were added on Friday, seven were taken off. A total of 215 business enterprises were assessed in this round, but hundreds more could get a look in the future.

“Businesses working in contexts of conflict have a due diligence responsibility to ensure their activities do not contribute to human rights abuses,” says Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson of the UN human rights office. “We call on businesses to take appropriate action to address the adverse human rights impacts of their activities.”

She says countries also have a responsibility to make sure that companies operating in such areas aren’t contributing to rights abuses.

The companies in the updated list are active mainly in sectors like construction, real estate, mining and quarrying. The UN human rights office, which compiled the list, has advised the companies of their listing and given them a right of reply.

Among the seven companies taken off the list were transportation company Alstom of France, and travel service providers eDreams of Spain and Opodo of Britain.

This is the first revision to the list since 2023, when 97 companies were listed — down from 112 in the original list published in 2020. Among those 15 taken off last time were US-based food and cereal giant General Mills.