SAFA — The UN Human Rights Office has added 61 companies to its database of businesses involved in activities linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, bringing the total number of listed firms to 214.

The database, first published in 2020, identifies companies involved in specified activities connected to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Most of the listed companies are Israeli, while others are based in 10 other countries, including the United States, China, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Newly added companies include Israeli pesticide manufacturer ADAMA, Israeli real estate investment holding company Alony Hetz and Spanish logistics company Salvat Logistica. They join major international companies already listed, including Airbnb and Expedia.

OHCHR said its latest update focused on companies operating in agriculture, transportation, storage, waste management, energy, food and hospitality services.

Of the 214 companies now listed, the UN found that 200 contributed to adverse impacts on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, while 14 were directly linked to such impacts.

“This report is another reminder to companies that they have human rights responsibilities and are expected to conduct due diligence to ensure that they do not become involved in human rights violations or abuses,” UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said.

The UN said it reviewed 126 companies in the latest assessment and added 61 to the database. Five previously listed companies were removed after OHCHR found reasonable grounds to believe they were no longer involved in activities that warranted their inclusion.

Among those removed were UK-registered travel company Opodo and Spain-based eDreams. eDreams previously said it had removed and would continue to block accommodation listings located in illegal Israeli settlements.

Activities considered for inclusion in the database include facilitating settlement construction and expansion, supplying surveillance and identification equipment, providing equipment used in demolitions, and offering transportation, banking, utilities or other services that help sustain settlements.

The updated database comes amid growing international pressure over Israel’s settlement expansion and escalating settler attacks against Palestinians. Britain, France and Canada moved this month to block imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Under international law, Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal. UN Security Council Resolution 2334 states that settlements established in territory occupied since 1967 have “no legal validity” and constitute a “flagrant violation” of international law.

In a 2024 advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice also concluded that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and reaffirmed that Israel’s settlement policy and practices breach international law.