Back in February, the Jerusalem Post and others reported on a UN report on establishing a database of companies doing business in Judea and Samaria.
A United Nations report on establishing a database of companies with business interests in Israeli settlements in the West Bank is set to be delayed until later this year, diplomats and activists said on Friday.
The UN human rights office had been due to present its first report on the politically charged issue at a session that opens on Feb. 27, which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is also due to address.
But the report is not ready and will be deferred for many months, at least until September, the sources said, adding that an announcement was expected on Monday.
Now Ynet is reporting on what seems to be a different UN report, which blames Israel and urges a boycott of businesses in the so-called “occupied territories.”
A new United Nations report on the settlements is due to be made public. Ynet found that the report is said to blame Israel for acting to annex the disputed territories in the West Bank, as well urge companies to end trade and business agreements with Judea and Samaria, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. The report was written by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Jordanian Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein. It is also said bereft of any mention of Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank or in general.
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“The production and trade of settlement goods continues a key source of profit for settlement business,” added the report’s draft. “The role of Israeli and foreign businesses in supporting and maintaining the existence of the settlements has been highlighted previously.
“It (the settlement project—ed) is a key driver of humanitarian need in the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, and lies at the core of a range of human rights violations. The settlements enterprise further constitutes one of the main obstacles to a viable Palestinian state.
“Third-party states should provide guidance on implementing the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to business enterprises domiciled in their territory and/or jurisdiction which operate in conflict-affected areas, including in the context of military occupation, such as in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
For some reason, Ynet seems to be the only media outlet reporting this as of the time of this post.
Reading about both of these reports in tandem should sound alarm bells. All I can say is thank goodness the Obama administration is no longer around.
