UN Report: Airbnb and Motorola Linked to Israeli Occupation in Palestine
The UN Human Rights Office has reported on 214 companies from 11 countries, including 61 newly added companies following its latest investigation. Among these companies are those operating in Indonesia, such as the accommodation booking service Airbnb and the telecommunications company Motorola.
According to the UN report, 192 of the 214 companies listed are based in Israel. The remaining 22 companies include eight US-based firms, three Spanish companies, two each from China, France, and the UK, and one each from Germany, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, and South Africa.
The database was first published in 2020 containing 112 companies, and was subsequently updated in 2023 and 20ng25. The latest report was compiled following an examination of the alleged involvement of an additional 126 companies operating in the agriculture, transport, warehousing, waste management, energy, food, and hospitality sectors.
The UN Human Rights Office found strong grounds to believe that 61 of these 126 companies are involved in at least one activity related to the settlements covered in the database. However, it did not find sufficient grounds to include the remaining 65 companies.
Five companies previously listed have been removed from the list after the office found strong evidence that their involvement in related activities had ceased.
The database includes several internationally recognised travel, technology, construction, and property companies. Airbnb, Booking Holdings, Booking.com, Expedia, and Tripadvisor are listed due to services that support the maintenance and existence of the settlements.
Motorola Solutions and its subsidiaries in Israel were included in the list for providing security services, equipment, or materials to companies operating in the settlements, as well as services that support the continued existence of these settlements.
JC Bamford Excavators, commonly known as JCB, is listed for supplying equipment and materials that facilitate the construction and expansion of settlements, as well as equipment used in the demolition and destruction of Palestinian property and agricultural land.
The German cement producer, Heidelberg Materials, is listed in relation to the commercial exploitation of natural resources, specifically Palestinian land and water.
US-based Re/Max Holdings is listed for services that support settlements and the commercial use of Palestinian natural resources. The database also covers major banks, telecommunications providers, construction companies, transport firms, energy businesses, wine producers, and Israeli agricultural producers.