UN Adds 61 Companies to West Bank Settlement List

The United Nations Office on Human Rights released an updated database on Friday listing companies doing business with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The office added 61 firms to the list, which now includes between 214 and 241 companies from 11 countries, including the United States, China, Israel, and several European nations.

UN officials assert these businesses negatively impact the right of Palestinians to self-determination by providing financing for settlement upkeep or supplying surveillance equipment. The list is intended to pressure corporations to conduct human rights due diligence, though the UN Human Rights Council lacks the authority to force corporate action.

Israel's mission to the UN in Geneva denounced the database as a smear campaign and a political tool. The update arrives as France and Canada announce intentions to follow the lead of other nations in imposing trade restrictions on West Bank settlements. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has characterized such settlement activities as a colonial scheme designed to force Palestinians from their homeland.