RAMALLAH, September 15, 2025 (WAFA) – More than 80 international non-governmental organizations, including Oxfam and the Human Rights Association, called on Monday for states and companies, particularly European ones, to end all forms of business dealings with Israeli colonies established in the occupied Palestinian territories.
This came in a joint report titled "Trade with Illegal Settlements: How Foreign States and Companies Enable Israel to Implement its Illegal Settlement Policy," co-authored by organizations such as the Human Rights Association and Oxfam.
The report emphasized that the continued involvement of foreign companies and institutions in settlement- related activities exacerbate the humanitarian crisis resulting from the long-term Israeli occupation.
It also highlighted a number of European companies that contribute to supporting the economy of the settlements by selling their products in Israel.
The report called on states, particularly the European Union members and the United Kingdom, to impose an explicit ban on any commercial or investment activity related to the settlements, including the provision of services and financing.
It also called for financial institutions to be banned from providing loans to companies involved in projects within the settlements.
This report follows a previous report submitted last July by Francesca Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, to the UN Human Rights Council.
Albanese's report, titled "From an Economy of Occupation to an Economy of Genocide," revealed that foreign companies contribute to the Israeli settlement enterprise through the forced displacement of Palestinians and their replacement with settler populations.
The UN rapporteur emphasized that these activities are financed by banks and insurance companies, while tourism platforms, large retail chains, and academic institutions participate in the normalization process.
Albanese affirmed, have the power to hold such companies accountable through their purchasing choices.
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