UN adds 61 companies to Israeli settlement database, total now 214

The United Nations human rights office on Friday added 61 companies to its database of businesses operating in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, a territory the global body regards as illegally settled. The list now names 214 firms, most of them Israeli, but also companies headquartered in ten other countries including France, Germany, China and the United States.

The database, first published in 2020, is closely watched because inclusion can expose companies to boycott or divestment campaigns aimed at pressing Israel over settlement expansion in the West Bank, home to more than three million Palestinians.

Among the newly added entries are Israeli pesticide maker ADAMA, part of the Chinese-owned Syngenta Group; Alony Hetz, an Israel-based real estate investment holding company; and Spain's Salvat Logistica. They join firms already listed, such as travel agency Expedia and home-rental company Airbnb.

Israel, which treats the West Bank as disputed rather than occupied, has rejected the list as unfair to companies operating legally. Its diplomatic mission said on Friday that the database was a distorted mechanism produced by a deeply flawed body with an automatic majority against Israel, and alleged it was set up to persecute the Jewish state.

The UN rights office assessed companies across sectors including energy, food, hospitality, transport and agriculture, drawing on confidential submissions. Its criteria cover involvement in activities that violate the Palestinian right to self-determination — for example, supplying demolition equipment used to destroy Palestinian buildings, providing surveillance for settlements, or offering transport and other services that help sustain them.

About 60 further companies were reviewed but left off the list because they did not meet those criteria. Two firms previously listed, British-registered online travel company Opodo and Spain-domiciled online travel agent eDreams, were removed after requesting reassessment. The UN found reasonable grounds to believe they were no longer involved in the activities that had justified their inclusion. eDreams said last year that it had withdrawn and would keep blocking listings of accommodation in illegal Israeli settlements, noting that some had appeared automatically after owners uploaded them.

Expedia has said listings in what it calls disputed areas are clearly labelled, comply with international laws and sanctions, and undergo enhanced due diligence guided by UN standards.

The update comes amid a rise in settler attacks on Palestinians as outposts spread. This month Britain, France and Canada moved to block imports from settlements. Palestinians want the West Bank to form part of a future independent state, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist government has largely backed settlers, with construction accelerating since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 and the ensuing Gaza war.