British companies named and shamed by UN for profiting from Israeli ‘genocide'

Telegraph

9 hours ago

British companies have been named and shamed by the United Nations, which has accused them of supporting a genocide carried out by Israel.
Barclays, BP and a string of universities were listed by the UN in a report on Tuesday as entities benefitting from 'the Israeli economy of illegal occupation, apartheid and now genocide'.
The document was written Francesca Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Commenting, she said 'Genocide, it would seem, is profitable.'
The move marks the first time the UN has focused in on private businesses for links to Israel's attacks on Gaza and its activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Israel's relationship with the UN continues to deteriorate due to its criticism of the Jewish state's conduct of its war and its blocking of humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees.
The Israeli embassy in Geneva said the report was driven by the author's 'obsessive hate-driven agenda to delegitimize the existence of the State of Israel'.
In the document, Ms Albanese wrote that BP was providing crude oil to the Jewish state and was granted a licence in March to explore gas resources in 'Palestinian maritime expanses illegally exploited by Israel'.
Financial enterprises including Barclays were called out for investing in and underwriting Israeli government bonds, which the UN said was Israel's main source of revenue for its ballooning military spending.
The University of Edinburgh was highlighted as one of many British higher education centres with ties to Israel. It said the Scottish Russell Group university had invested £25.5 million of its endowment in tech giants 'central to the Israeli surveillance apparatus and the ongoing Gaza destruction'.
'The university ranks among the most financially entangled institutions in the United Kingdom' as it also has partnerships with firms involved with the Israeli military, such as Italian aerospace and defence firm Leonardo SpA, the report read.
The document focused on companies that have strengthened ties with Israel since October 2023, when it began attacks on Gaza.
It identifies a range of companies, including arms manufacturers such as Israeli firms Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, as well as the US's Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defence contractor, for providing military hardware from drones to fighter jets.
Major tech firms were also called out, including Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Palantir, for providing a range of services and software such as digital and biometric surveillance, artificial intelligence for military operations and predictive policing technology.
' Repression of Palestinians has become progressively automated, with tech companies providing dual-use infrastructure to integrate mass data collection and surveillance, while profiting from the unique testing ground for military technology offered by the occupied Palestinian territory,' the report read.
'While life in Gaza is being obliterated and the West Bank is under escalating assault, the present report shows why the genocide carried out by Israel continues: because it is lucrative for many,' Ms Albanese wrote.
'The complicity exposed by the report is just the tip of the iceberg; ending it will not happen without holding the private sector accountable, including its executives.'
Companies providing equipment such as bulldozers used to demolish Palestinian homes and infrastructure, such as Caterpillar, Hyundai and Volvo, were also named, as well as Keller Williams, a real estate firm, for developing and marketing properties in Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory.
Agriculture firms including Tnuva, owned by Chinese state-owned China Bright Food, were listed for sourcing products from Israeli settlements and for providing farming technology to support crop expansion in Palestinian areas.
A number of global pension funds were also named for investing in firms alleged to be complicit in Israel's activities, as well as tourism companies, such as AirBnB and Booking.com, for listing accommodation in Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Other energy firms mentioned include Chevron and Drummond from the US, and Switzerland's Glencore, which is used for electricity generation.
BNP Paribas, Blackrock and Allianz were also attacked for, like Barclays, investing in Israeli government bonds.
Sanction Israel?
The document will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday and is likely to anger Israel, which dropped out of the Council in February citing 'ongoing and relenting institutional bias against Israel'.
It makes several recommendations such as sanctions and a full arms embargo on Israel, as well as freezing the assets of 'individuals involved in activities that may endanger the Palestinians,'.
Companies, it says, should cease business activities linked to human rights violations and international crimes against Palestinians and pay reparations to them, 'including in the form of an apartheid wealth tax along the lines of post-apartheid South Africa'.
The report came after the UN issued a call for submissions last November to investigate businesses and entities involved in Israel's war crimes in Palestinian territory.
Some companies identified have earlier been highlighted by human rights groups and research organisations for alleged complicity in Israel's war crimes.
Glencore, Chevron and Volvo rejected the allegations. Blackrock declined to comment.
A university spokesperson said an investment advisory group had been established to 'inform the University's approach to responsible investment, carefully considering the diverse perspectives and concerns of our community.'
'We unequivocally condemn the violence and suffering resulting from events in Israel and Gaza in recent years. While our commitment as a global institution to act in accordance with our values is unwavering, it is essential that any actions taken are measured, responsible and fully consultive.'
The death toll in Gaza since October 2023 stands at more than 56,000 people, with an additional 132,200 injured, according to the local health ministry.