West Bank settlements

The United Nations has added 61 more companies to its blacklist of firms with ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel reacted angrily to the move, calling it biased. The updated list is drawing international attention as scrutiny of companies operating in settlement-linked activities continues to grow.

The United Nations has expanded its database of companies operating in Israeli West Bank settlements to 138 firms. The list, maintained by the UN Human Rights Council, flags businesses the UN says are involved in activities supporting settlement expansion, which it considers illegal under international law. Israel rejects the blacklist, and its publication has drawn criticism from Israeli officials and mixed reactions from companies and governments.

The city of Ma'aleh Adumim is challenging the attorney-general's legal opinion in an effort to delay or block approval of new homes in the E1 settlement area near Jerusalem. The dispute touches on one of the most sensitive planned settlement projects, which has long drawn international opposition over its potential to divide the West Bank and complicate a future Palestinian state.

The United Nations has expanded its list of Israeli companies operating in West Bank settlements to 215 firms. The list, published by the UN Human Rights Council, names businesses it says are engaged in activities supporting settlement expansion, which Israel and its supporters condemn as biased, while human rights groups welcome it as a step toward corporate accountability in occupied territory.