Israel freezes ties with UN rights body after it outs companies with ties to West Bank settlements

Furious officials complain of antisemitism amid fears that the firms will be boycotted, writes Bel Trew

A view of the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the occupied West Bank on the outskirts of Jerusalem (AFP/Getty)

Israel’s foreign minister has said the country will cut ties with the United Nations’ human rights commissioner after her office published a list of 112 companies with business links to settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The decision to release the database of firms, which includes travel giants TripAdvisor, Expedia and Airbnb, ignited fury in Israel with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the body “biased”. He said the move was an attempt to “blacken Israel’s name”.

In 2016, the UN’s human rights council commissioned the database of companies deemed to be linked to or supportive of the Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law.