Firms profiting from genocide of Palestinians: UN expert Albanese - War on Gaza

Al-Ahram Weekly

7 hours ago

UN human rights expert Francesca Albanese on Thursday said dozens of companies are profiting from Israel's military occupation, apartheid, and genocide of Palestinians, in a damning report presented to the UN Human Rights Council.
Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, said the report exposes 'the corporate machinery sustaining the Israeli settler-colonial project of displacement and replacement of the Palestinians.'
She called on companies to immediately end all business activities that cause or contribute to grave human rights violations and international crimes.
'In Gaza, Palestinians continue to endure suffering beyond imagination,' Albanese told the Council, describing conditions in Gaza and the West Bank as 'apocalyptic.'
Businesses — from weapons manufacturers to banks and supermarkets — have directly enabled what she described as a 'machinery of erasure,' facilitating the infrastructure of illegal Israeli settlements, supplying logistics and financing, and entrenching a system of apartheid.
'All have helped entrench apartheid and enable the slow, inexorable destruction of Palestinian life,' she said. Her remarks were met with applause in the chamber.
Albanese does not speak for the United Nations as a whole but was appointed by the Council in her independent capacity.
Israel's mission in Geneva rejected the report as 'legally groundless, defamatory and a flagrant abuse of office,' calling Albanese's work part of a 'hate-driven agenda to delegitimise the State of Israel.'
Albanese has previously accused Israel of committing genocide and has faced a sustained campaign of attacks by Israeli officials and allied governments, who have called for her removal and accused her of antisemitism.
Israel often uses allegations of antisemitism to smear its critics and silence legitimate condemnation of its occupation in the West Bank and its genocidal war in Gaza.
Profiting from mass violence
Albanese said she contacted all 48 companies named in her report, 'From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide.' Of those, 18 responded — but only a few engaged meaningfully.
'Most said there was absolutely nothing wrong,' she told journalists. 'There have been people and organisations who have profited from the violence, the killing.'
'My report exposes a system so structural, widespread and systemic that it cannot be fixed. It must be dismantled.'
She said the first responsibility lies with states, but that companies and consumers also bear responsibility.
'We are part of a system where we are all entangled, and the choices we make... have an impact elsewhere,' she said. 'There is a possibility for consumers to hold these companies accountable — because we vote with our wallets.'
Corporate responses
Swiss mining and commodity giant Glencore, named in the report, dismissed the findings as 'unsubstantiated and devoid of any legal basis.'
Other firms offered little or no comment.
Booking.com said its mission was to 'make it easier for everyone to experience the world' and that it does not believe it should 'decide where someone can or cannot travel.'
Microsoft declined to comment. Volvo Group said it has no direct operations in either Palestine or Israel and sells through resellers. 'We obviously respect human rights in accordance with the United Nations framework,' a spokesman said.
Danish shipping company Maersk said it disagreed with many of Albanese's conclusions but added: 'Since the war began, we have maintained a strict policy of not shipping weapons or ammunition to Israel.'
'Apocalyptic' toll in Gaza
Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians since it began in October 2023, with women and children making up most of the dead, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Independent reports suggest the actual toll is likely higher.
Nearly two years into the conflict, Gaza lies in ruins. Entire families have been wiped out by air strikes, and hundreds of thousands remain displaced, lacking food, shelter, or medical care.
In just the past 48 hours, Israeli forces killed more than 300 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which accused Israel of 'committing 26 bloody massacres' during that period.
On Thursday, Gaza's Health Ministry reported at least 118 Palestinians killed and 581 injured in Israeli attacks across the territory in the previous 24 hours.
Meanwhile, violence has surged across the occupied West Bank, where Israel has maintained military control since 1967. Israeli settlers have launched sudden, violent raids on Palestinian towns—burning property, attacking residents, and attempting to drive them from their homes.
At the same time, Israeli forces have relentlessly surrounded and raided refugee camps, forcing even more Palestinians from their homes and barring their return. Since the Gaza war began, Israeli forces have killed around 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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