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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Geneva - London - Asharq Al-Awsat

Israel Slams UN report on Companies Doing Business with Settlements

FILE PHOTO: General view shows houses in Shvut Rachel, a West Bank Jewish settlement located close to the Jewish settlement of Shilo, near Ramallah October 6, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner//File Photo

Israel on Wednesday rejected the UN's publication of a list of 112 companies that do business in its settlements, while the Palestinians cheered its long-delayed release.

The list published by the United Nations' human rights office includes a range of large international firms including Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Booking.com and Motorola Solutions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at retaliation.

"Whoever boycotts us will be boycotted," a statement from his office quoted him as saying.

"We strongly reject this contemptible effort."

Foreign Minister Israel Katz labeled the move "a shameful surrender to pressure from countries and organizations who want to harm Israel."

The long-delayed report issued in Geneva said 94 of the companies were domiciled in Israel and 18 were listed in six other countries -- the United States, Britain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Thailand and France.

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

The UN rights office said that listing companies in the database was "not, and does not purport to be, a judicial or quasi-judicial process".

A spokesman for Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the report was not a "blacklist" and was not intended to qualify any of the companies' business activities as illegal.

Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki applauded the publication as a "victory for international law and diplomatic efforts."

Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat called the long-delayed report a "crucial first step to restore hope in multilateralism and international law."

"This announcement enhances and consolidates the credibility of the Human Rights Council and international organizations in the face of the fierce attack and the intense pressure that the Trump administration places on these institutions," Erekat added.

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