The United Nations human rights office has added 61 companies to its database of businesses involved in activities linked to Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory, which the global body considers illegal, bringing the total number of firms listed to 214.
The update, issued on Friday, 25 September, covers companies from 11 countries, mostly from Israel, but also from 10 other countries including France, Germany, China and the U.S., and includes businesses operating in sectors such as agriculture, transport, energy, food and hospitality.
The database was established in 2020 under a mandate from the UN Human Rights Council.
The database is highly sensitive as firms could be targeted for boycotts or divestment to pressure Israel over settler expansion in the territory that is home to more than 3 million Palestinians.
They joined companies such as travel agency Expedia and home-rental company Airbnb already on the list.
Among the newly listed firms are Israeli pesticides producer ADAMA, Chinese-owned Syngenta Group, Israeli property investment company Alony Hetz and Spain's Salvat Logistica.
They did not immediately respond to a request for comment on their inclusion in the UN database.
The UN said it assessed 126 companies for the latest update, adding 61 and removing five previously listed firms that no longer met its criteria.
The assessment focuses on companies whose activities are considered by the UN to contribute to, or be directly linked to, adverse human rights impacts and the Palestinian right to self-determination. The office said companies are contacted during the assessment process and given an opportunity to provide further information.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the report was “another reminder to companies that they have human rights responsibilities” and should conduct due diligence to avoid involvement in rights abuses.
Israel has rejected the database, arguing that it unfairly targets the country. Its diplomatic mission described it as a “distorted mechanism” created by what it called a body with an “automatic majority against Israel”.
The companies added to the latest update had not immediately commented on their inclusion.
The database has become a focus for campaigners seeking boycotts or divestment from businesses linked to settlement activity. Some companies have also been removed after demonstrating that they had ended activities that previously met the UN's criteria.
The update comes amid continued international concern over settlement expansion in the West Bank. Britain, France and Canada have recently moved to restrict imports from Israeli settlements, while settler violence and the expansion of outposts have remained a source of tension.
The Palestinians seek the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Gaza, as part of a future independent state.
The international community says that the West Bank is an occupied territory under international law and that all Israeli settlements built there are illegal.
However, Israel disputes the characterisation of the territory as occupied and views the West Bank as disputed. It says it maintains that its settlements are subject to Israeli law and security considerations.
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