Palestinian FM Lauds Release of UN Blacklist of Companies Having Ties with Illegal Israeli Settlements

Palestinian FM Lauds Release of UN Blacklist of Companies Having Ties with Illegal Israeli Settlements

Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are deemed to be illegal under international law [Bernat Armangue/AP]

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki hailed the release of the long-awaited UN blacklist of business enterprises operating in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Malki said the implementation of the UN High Commissioner Bachelet's mandate “is a reinforcement of the multilateral world order based on international law in the face of attempts to undermine this order.”

He stressed that publishing the list of companies and enterprises operating in the Israeli settlements is “a victory for international law and diplomatic effort in order to dry up the resources of the colonial system represented in the illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

Malki said that “world justice will enhance the rights of the Palestinian people, contribute to their steadfastness on their land, and protect their potentials and natural resources exploited by Israel, the illegal occupation authority.”

He called on the member states of the United Nations and the Human Rights Council “to review and study this database and to advise, instruct and direct these companies to immediately end their work with the settlements since this work is considered a violation of international law and its codes.”

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, issued on Wednesday the database of companies operating in the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian state, in implementation of the mandate entrusted to the Commissioner and in implementation of the relevant Human Rights Council resolution.

The UN report comes in response to a 2016 UNHRC resolution calling for a "database for all businesses engaged in specific activities related to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory".

In a statement on Wednesday, the UN body said it identified 112 business entities which have ties with Israeli settlements - 94 domiciled in Israel and 18 in six other countries.

It identified companies listed in the US, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Thailand and the United Kingdom. Among these was the US-based home-sharing company, Airbnb.

In its report, the UN office said the companies' activities "raised particular human rights concerns".

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