UN expands Israeli settlements blacklist with 61 more companies

The UN human rights office has expanded its blacklist of companies it links to Palestinian rights violations through business ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, adding 61 new names while removing five firms that had appeared on last year's list of 158. The list now totals 214 companies across 11 countries, with the majority based in Israel.

The blacklist was first published in 2020 following a vote by the UN Human Rights Council, which has no authority to compel companies to change their conduct. Its stated purpose is to publicly identify businesses connected to the settlements. It remains unclear what financial impact, if any, inclusion on the list has had on the companies named.

Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, said in a statement that the report serves as a reminder that companies carry human rights responsibilities and are expected to carry out due diligence to avoid becoming implicated in rights violations.

Israel firmly rejected the publication. Its diplomatic mission in Geneva said the database functions as a blacklist against businesses that have done nothing wrong, and urged allies not to give in to what it called an attempt to blacklist Israeli firms. The UN office said the listed companies had been notified in advance and given an opportunity to respond.

The update comes amid growing international scrutiny of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory. Earlier this month, Britain banned trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying settler violence there amounts to ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. France and Canada have said they plan to take similar measures.