Geneva (Switzerland), 26 September (LaPresse/AP) – The United Nations has added nearly 70 new names to its blacklist of companies from 11 countries accused of complicity in human rights violations against Palestinians through their commercial ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The new list highlights companies that engage in activities considered to support the settlements, which many consider illegal under international law. The blacklist includes a wide range of companies, from suppliers of construction materials and earth-moving machinery to providers of security, travel and financial services. The list, formally known as the “business database”, now contains 158 companies, most of which are Israeli. The others come from the United States, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. New additions include the German construction materials company Heidelberg Materials, the Portuguese railway systems supplier Steconfer and the Spanish transport engineering company Ineco. The list also includes travel giants such as Expedia, Booking and Airbnb. While 68 new companies have been added, seven have been removed. A total of 215 companies were evaluated in this cycle, but many more may be reviewed in the future.
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