UN NAMES 68 FIRMS LINKED TO WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS

THE United Nations has added nearly 70 more companies to a blacklist of firms from 11 countries that it says are complicit in violating Palestinian human rights through their business ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

- 

The new list spotlights companies that do business that's deemed supportive of the settlements, which are considered by many to be illegal under international law. It includes an array of companies like vendors of construction materials and earth-movers, as well as providers of security, travel and financial services. "Businesses working in contexts of conflict have a due diligence responsibility to ensure their activities do not contribute to human rights abuses," said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson of the UN human rights office.