Palestine Urges Firms to Cut Ties With Businesses Linked to Israeli Settlements

Palestinian authorities have called on international companies to review their business relationships with firms linked to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, following an update to a United Nations database tracking corporate ties to the settlements.

The UN Human Rights Office's database now lists 214 companies with business activities connected to Israeli settlements, which are considered illegal under international law by the UN and most of the international community, though Israel disputes this characterization. The latest update added 61 companies not previously included.

The database, first published several years ago, catalogues firms involved in activities such as supplying settlements with equipment and materials, providing services to settlement infrastructure, and operating within settlement areas. It has drawn criticism from Israeli officials and some listed companies, who argue the list amounts to an unfair blacklist, while human rights groups have defended it as a transparency tool.

Palestinian officials renewed their call for companies to sever ties with settlement-linked businesses, framing it as part of a broader effort to pressure Israel over settlement expansion in the West Bank, which Palestinians see as a central obstacle to an independent Palestinian state.

The list's periodic updates have historically prompted renewed diplomatic exchanges between Israeli officials, who reject its legitimacy, and Palestinian and UN representatives, who argue it provides essential due-diligence information for businesses and investors.