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UN expands list of companies linked to Israeli settlements
The database now lists 214 firms after the office reviewed sectors including transport and agriculture and found 60 others did not meet its criteria.
On Friday, the United Nations human rights office added 61 companies operating in Israeli West Bank settlements to its database, which the global body considers illegal.
The database aims to pressure Israel over settler expansion in territory home to over 3 million Palestinians, with the UN assessing firms involved in activities violating Palestinian rights to self-determination.
Now containing 214 firms from 10 countries, the list includes new additions such as Israeli pesticides maker ADAMA and Spain's Salvat Logistica, joining existing companies like travel agency Expedia and Airbnb.
Israel's diplomatic mission called the list a "distorted mechanism" created to "persecute" the Jewish state, while companies like British-registered Opodo and Spanish-domiciled eDreams were removed after successful reassessment requests.
Amid a surge in settler attacks this month, Britain, France, and Canada have moved to block imports from settlements, reflecting broader international pressure on the expansion.
Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank is considered illegal. The United Nations lists 214 companies, including a German cement manufacturer.