The United Nations human rights office on Friday, September 25, 2026, added 61 companies to its database of firms tied to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, bringing the total to 214 businesses in 11 countries. Israel’s mission in Geneva called the list a political tool meant to smear companies that committed no wrongdoing.
The database, published by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on behalf of the Human Rights Council, has swelled by 61 firms since last year’s count of 158, according to Al Jazeera’s review of the 18-page report. Five companies were removed. Most of the listed firms are Israeli, though the roster stretches across Canada, China, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk framed the update as a warning to industry rather than a punishment.
Who’s On the List, and Who Just Joined
Familiar names stayed put. Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, TripAdvisor and Motorola Solutions remain on the database, joined this year by newcomers including Spanish logistics firm Salvat Logistica and Israeli real estate holding company Alony Hetz, both named by Al Jazeera and the Serbian outlet SNM. The source article adds German cement producer Heidelberg Materials and notes eight U.S.-based firms made the cut this round.
Two firms came off the list after asking for reassessment: British online travel company Opodo and Spanish agency eDreams, according to SNM. The UN concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe the pair had stopped the activity that got them listed in the first place. eDreams said last year it would keep blocking listings tied to illegal settlements, while Expedia has maintained that accommodation in what it calls “disputed” areas is clearly marked and screened against international sanctions, SNM reported.
The Count Itself Is in Dispute
The outlets don’t agree on the exact total. Al Jazeera, the source article and SNM all put the figure at 214 firms. The New York Times reported the new list added 61 companies to a database of businesses from 11 countries, bringing the total to 241 — a discrepancy from the other outlets that none of the sources explain. What’s consistent across every account: 61 new companies joined this cycle, and the review has been running since 2020.
How the UN Decides Who Makes the List
A company lands on the database if it’s engaged in at least one of ten prohibited activities — construction and expansion of settlements, supplying surveillance or demolition equipment, banking services, or utilities among them, per Al Jazeera’s reading of the report. The standard of proof is reasonable grounds to believe, a bar the outlet notes is lower than the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt threshold used in criminal courts.
Photo: snm.rs
The process moves slowly. The rights office has received submissions on 596 companies overall and has now reviewed 381 of them, Le Monde reported, with the last submission window closing in June 2024. The source article’s tally puts the pending caseload at 255 companies still awaiting review. Once flagged, a company gets 60 days to respond; the latest assessment drew replies from 14 firms, Al Jazeera reported, though it’s not clear how many of the 126 companies reviewed this round were actually contacted.
2020: List first published following a Human Rights Council resolution.
2023: First update.
2025: Second update.
September 25, 2026: Third update, adding 61 companies.
Despite a requirement to update annually, the database has now been revised three times since 2020 rather than every year, Le Monde noted.
Israel’s Response: “A Distorted Mechanism”
This is a distorted mechanism – established by a body with serious shortcomings and an automatic majority against Israel,
UN lists firms linked to illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank
Israeli diplomatic mission
Israel’s diplomatic mission in Geneva went further, telling reporters the database was established solely to persecute the Jewish state and accusing the UN rights office of using it “to advance a smear campaign against business enterprises that committed no wrongdoing,” according to both the source article and Le Monde’s coverage. Israel has objected to the database since its creation and has repeatedly argued it unfairly singles out companies operating lawfully.
The ICJ Ruling and Britain’s Trade Restrictions
The legal backdrop matters here. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s settlements “unlawful” in an advisory opinion, ruling Israel must halt new settlement construction and withdraw from occupied Palestinian territory as soon as possible. The opinion carries political weight but isn’t legally binding, Al Jazeera reported.
Photo: Yahoo
The New York Times places this week’s update against a fresher backdrop: two weeks earlier, Britain, backed by roughly a dozen mostly European countries, announced trade restrictions on the West Bank settlements. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the expansion of settlements has, in some areas, led to ethnic cleansing and threatens any chance of a two-state solution. The Times described that package of measures as having “shocked Israel” amid what it called the country’s deepening international isolation over the war in Gaza and rising settler violence against Palestinians this year.
None of the five accounts say what, if any, direct legal or financial consequence follows from a company’s inclusion on the list.
UN issues list of firms linked to illegal Israeli settlements | Scope with Waqar Rizvi
