UN expands Israeli settlement database to 214 firms across 11 countries, adding 61 new companies

Database expansion and country breakdown

The United Nations human rights office released an updated 18-page report on Friday listing 214 commercial enterprises operating in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The publication added 61 new companies to the registry following an assessment of 126 businesses. Of the total 214 listed firms, 192 are headquartered in Israel and eight are based in the United States, including Airbnb, Expedia, Booking, and Motorola Solutions. The remaining companies come from nine other countries: three from Spain, two each from China, France, and the United Kingdom, and one each from Germany, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, and South Africa. Five businesses listed in 2025 were removed after demonstrating they had halted covered operations, including Portuguese rail firm Steconfer and Spanish companies ACS and SEMI.

Assessment criteria and standard of proof

The registry covers commercial activities between 2 August 2019 and 15 April 2026 across ten specific categories defined by the UN Human Rights Council. These activities include supplying demolition equipment for Palestinian property, providing settlement surveillance systems, operating transport networks, and rendering banking and mortgage services. The UN rights office noted that 200 of the 214 listed entities contribute to adverse impacts on Palestinian self-determination, while 14 have direct links. Standard of proof requires reasonable grounds to believe an enterprise is engaged in at least one prohibited category, a lower threshold than criminal court requirements. Affected businesses receive 60 days to respond to formal notices; 14 companies submitted replies during the latest review cycle, while 255 candidate entities remain pending evaluation.

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.

Database history and diplomatic context

The UN Human Rights Council established the database mandate through a vote in 2016, leading to the initial release of the list in 2020. Subsequent updates followed in 2023 and 2025 before the latest expansion brought the total from 158 to 214 entities. While inclusion carries no direct international legal penalties or economic sanctions, listed firms regularly encounter public divestment campaigns and commercial boycotts. The update coincides with recent trade measures by Western governments, including Britain, France, and Canada, which announced bans on imports from West Bank settlements in September 2026. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband stated that settlement growth undermined prospects for a two-state solution, following the package of trade measures.

Israeli response and corporate reactions

Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva rejected the report, describing the database as a political instrument designed to target the country. Israeli officials maintained that the settlements, which house Jewish residents in territories also inhabited by over 3 million Palestinians, are disputed rather than occupied under international definitions. Spanish engineering company Ineco, which appears alongside CAF and Salvat Logistica on the list, stated that it does not conduct operations in the occupied territories. Other multinational corporations remaining on the list include Mexican conglomerate Orbia Advance, French engineering group Egis, and British construction suppliers JCB and Greenkote. Meanwhile, newly listed Israeli pesticide manufacturer ADAMA, a unit of China-owned Syngenta Group, and real estate investment holding firm Alony Hetz did not immediately issue public comments regarding their inclusion.