U.N. Publishes List of Companies Facilitating Illegal West Bank Settlements

The UN human rights office has issued a long-awaited report on companies linked to Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The report names 112 business entities that have been determined to be facilitating the ongoing existence of illegal settlements, or facilitating the expansion of illegal settlements.  Among those entities are the following companies:

• Airbnb
• Expedia
• General Mills
• Motorola
• Tripadvisor

The Palestinians said the report was a "victory for international law."

About 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. The settlements are considered illegal under international law.

Many have long called for the removal of the settlements, arguing that their presence on land Palestinians claim for a future independent Palestinian state makes peace in the region a near impossibility.

Human Rights Watch said the list "should put all companies on notice: to do business with illegal settlements is to aid in the commission of war crimes."