UN Expands Blacklist of Companies Linked to Israeli Settlement Activity
GENEVA – The United nations Human Rights Council has added 68 companies to its blacklist of those allegedly complicit in human rights violations related to Israeli settlements in the West Bank,bringing the total number of listed businesses to 164. The revised list, released today, comes amid escalating tensions and recent Israeli actions including veiled threats of annexation and approvals for thousands of new settlement homes.
The list was last revised in 2023, when it contained 97 companies - a reduction from the original 112 published in 2020, which included U.S.-based General Mills.
The UN council identifies ten types of business activities in the settlements that could warrant inclusion on the list, ranging from pollution dumping in Palestinian areas to supplying equipment used for demolition and surveillance, and even facilitating tourism and lodging within the settlements.
The international community maintains that a two-state solution requires dividing the territory to allow for both a Jewish majority in Israel and Palestinian self-determination. Critics warn that continued settlement expansion risks creating an apartheid-like state where Palestinians are ruled by Israelis.
Over 500,000 Israelis currently reside in the West Bank, wiht an additional 200,000 in East Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated Israel has no intention of dismantling these settlements and has ruled out an independent Palestinian state. Palestinians claim the West Bank,East Jerusalem,and gaza for a future independent state.
The UN has allocated funding for one full-time staff member to manage the complex process of gathering data, assessing claims, and communicating with the companies involved. claims regarding hundreds of other companies are currently under review.
Israel and the United States have frequently accused the Human Rights Council of anti-Israel bias, leading the Trump administration to withdraw the U.S. from the council.
