UN lists 158 companies over roles in Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine
Update to UN rights office database names firms from 11 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France
Israeli settlers in Gaza Border (Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf)
GENEVA
The UN on Friday updated its list of companies implicated in operations within Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, identifying 158 business enterprises from 11 countries.
The countries on the UN human rights office database include the US, Spain, the Netherlands, France, China, the UK, Germany, Canada, Portugal, Luxembourg, and a majority headquartered in Israel.
The update, mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, expanded on earlier versions from 2020 and 2023. It identified businesses involved in activities, including "supplying equipment and materials that facilitate the construction and maintenance of illegal settlements, demolition of houses and property of Palestinians, surveillance activities, the use of natural resources for business purposes, and the pollution and dumping of waste in Palestinian villages."
Of 596 businesses flagged during a 2024 public call for submissions, 215 were fully reviewed (including all 97 from the 2023 list). The office added 68 new companies and removed seven no longer tied to such activities, arriving at a total of 158 confirmed names.
The bulk of these companies operate in sectors such as construction, real estate, mining, and quarrying. Each was given an opportunity to respond to the allegations, assessed under a methodology aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the office said.
It determined there were "reasonable grounds" to conclude that all 158 of the reviewed firms had engaged in one or more of the listed activities.
Beyond assigning corporate responsibility, the report urges businesses to "take appropriate action to address adverse human rights impacts," including remediation where harm has occurred. It also called on states to ensure that those affected by business-related abuses have access to justice and remedy under international law.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk emphasized that the report "underscores the due diligence responsibility of businesses working in contexts of conflict."
A fully annexed list of companies, including those newly added and those removed, was published alongside the report.
