Settlement Industry

This section focuses on the companies involved in the settlement industry, which depend on and benefit from the illegal confiscation of occupied resources and from the discriminatory legal regime in the occupied territories.

Between 1967 and 2016, Israel has built 132 settlements in the occupied West Bank, with a population of almost 400,000 settlers. An additional 200,000 settlers live in neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem, a part of the West Bank that Israel officially annexed after the 1967 war. In addition, there are about a hundred smaller settlement “outposts” in the occupied West Bank that were built without official government approval but still receive tacit approval and support. In the Syrian Golan Heights, which Israel annexed by law in 1981, there are some 30 settlements, with about 22,000 residents.

Regardless of their status under Israeli law, all the above settlement activities violate Israel's obligations as an occupying power under the terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its nationals into the territory it occupies. As early as 1979, UN Security Council Resolution 446 determined that the Israeli settlements in Palestine and the Golan Heights “have no legal validity.” In 2004, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Israeli settlements in the West Bank “have been established in breach of international law.” In 2016, UN Security Council Resolution 2334 determined that the settlements constitute “a flagrant violation under international law.” The Resolution called on Israel to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities,” and called on all other states “to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.”

The UN proclaimed responsibilities of states for internationally wrongful acts include an obligation to refrain from recognizing as lawful a situation created by a serious breach of international law. To avoid recognizing the settlements as legal, many states differentiate in their policies between the State of Israel and activities that happen in its illegal settlements. The European Union’s policies, for example, explicitly exclude settlement-based entities and activities from receiving EU funding, and require settlement products to be clearly labeled as such. US customs regulations similarly mandate that goods produced in the West Bank or Gaza Strip and imported to the US shall not be labeled as “Made in Israel.”

In addition to state obligations, businesses also have responsibilities with regard to their operation in settlements. In 2013, the UN Human Rights Council issued a report on the implications of the Israeli settlements on the rights of the Palestinian people. The report, which also examined the impact of businesses, called on companies to “assess the human rights impact of their activities and take all necessary steps - including by terminating their business interests in the settlements - to ensure that they do not have an adverse impact on the human rights of the Palestinian people.”

In 2020, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights published a list of 112 companies doing business in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. The annual publication of such a list was mandated by U.N. Human Rights Council Resolution 31/36 of March 2016, which reaffirmed the illegality of Israeli settlements and identified the settlements and the impunity they enjoy as the root cause of many violations of Palestinian human rights. The resolution called on states to prevent their companies from contributing to gross human rights abuses of Palestinians and to provide guidance to businesses on the financial, reputational, and legal risks for corporate involvement in such abuses. More information about the U.N. database can be found here.

Corporate involvement in the settlement industry includes:

  • Settlement construction - companies that have participated in the building of housing units or infrastructure projects in or for settlements, that have financed such projects, or that have been active in the settlement real estate market.
  • Business activities in settlements - companies with factories, storage facilities, or retail stores in settlements or in the settlement industrial zones in the West Bank.
  • Settlement services - companies that provide vital services that help sustain settlements such as communication, transportation, waste management, etc.

The American Friends Service Committee maintains that people should have the right to build and live anywhere, but not as a result of unwarranted land confiscation and illegal settlements. AFSC’s investment policy precludes investment in companies that “provide products or services that contribute to the maintenance and expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories,” or that “establish facilities or operations in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.”


Related databases and resources

The list of companies involved in this sector
Select private companies are listed below publicly-traded companies.
(!) symbol means this company is on our divestment list
Publicly-Traded Companies
Switzerland

A Swedish-Swiss multinational manufacturer of robotics, power, electrical equipment, and automation technologies. Its equipment is used in solar energy fields in the occupied West Bank.

Israel

An Israeli security firm that specializes in military intelligence and cyber security. Operates out of an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank.

A Spanish multinational construction company specialized in civil and engineering construction. Its subsidiary SEMI participated in the construction of the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem railway, which is partially built on occupied Palestinian territory.

Israel

A Chinese-owned Israeli chemical pesticide manufacturer that supports agriculture in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights. Its products have also been used by the Israeli military to maintain the blockade on the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli company specializing in control and automation technologies that is involved in several projects in the occupied Palestinian territory and Golan Heights.

A US company that owns and operates the world’s largest online property rental platform. Lists rental properties in illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine and in the Golan Heights.

An Israeli investment firm. Its subsidiary Energix Renewable Energy has projects in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights. Its subsidiary Amot Investments owns an industrial building in the occupied West Bank.

A French multinational power and transportation company. Involved in the Jerusalem light rail project, which is partially built in occupied East Jerusalem.

A Dutch multinational telecommunications company. Its Israeli subsidiary HOT has facilities in and provides telecommunication services to most illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.

Supplies and markets products for the Israeli agricultural industry. Has two branches in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli real estate investment firm. Owns an industrial building in an illegal settlement industrial zone in the occupied West Bank.

One of the largest construction and real estate companies in Israel. Carried out residential and infrastructure projects in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights. Involved in the construction of military checkpoints, the West Bank separation wall, and the Ofer military prison. Operates two quarries in the West Bank.

An aggregator of information technology companies. Its subsidiary Matrix IT operates in the illegal settlement of Modi'in Illit in the occupied West Bank. Its subsidiary TGS developed the Israeli military's command and control system.

A Swedish manufacturer of industrial-scale tools and equipment. Its products were used in the construction of the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem railway, which is partially built on occupied Palestinian territory.

An Israeli investment firm. Has major holdings in several companies doing business in illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

An Israeli construction and real estate company. Has been involved in multiple construction projects in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

One of Israel's largest banks, which is deeply involved in the expansion of Israel's illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.

One of Israel's largest banks. Financed the construction of housing projects and has branches in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.

An Israeli bank specializing in real estate financing and investing. Financed the construction of housing projects and has branches in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli engineering company. Participated in the construction of the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem railway, which is partially built in the occupied West Bank.

Israel's largest telecommunications company. Has infrastructure throughout the occupied Palestinian territory and Golan Heights. Services all illegal settlements as well as military bases and checkpoints.

A Canadian manufacturer of business aircraft and public transit vehicles. Provides railway engines and cars to Israel's railway system, which transgresses into the occupied Palestinian territory.

A US digital tourism and travel company that owns and operates several search and booking websites. Its subsidiary Bookings.com lists locations in occupied Palestinian and Syrian lands.

A telecommunication, security, and infrastructure company. Its surveillance systems are used in military bases and checkpoints in the occupied West Bank. Company products are installed in multiple weapon systems used by the Israeli military against Palestinian civilians.

Japan

A Japanese manufacturer of cameras and film equipment. Its subsidiary Briefcam provides video surveillance tools to the Israeli occupation authorities in East Jerusalem.

A venture capital investment firm. One of its holdings, Meytag High Tech Ventures, is located at Katzrin, an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied Golan Heights.

France

A French multinational retailer with grocery stores located in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israel's largest fashion company. Operates stores in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

A US multinational manufacturer of heavy engineering machinery. Its equipment is customized for the use of the needs of the Israeli military occupation and is used in home demolitions, the construction of the West Bank and Gaza walls, and the construction of illegal settlements.

Israel's largest provider of cellular phone services. Has hundreds of antennas and other communications facilities in the occupied Palestinian territory and Golan Heights. Provides telecommunication services to multiple illegal settlements and military bases.

A Mexican construction materials manufacturer. Has factories in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights and provides building materials to construction projects in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Divested from its mining activities in occupied Palestinian territory.

A US-based networking hardware company. Established a network of “digital hubs” in partnership with the Israeli government, some of them in occupied territories.

An Italian manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment. Its equipment has been used to demolish Palestinian homes under military occupation and for the construction of the West Bank separation wall and illegal settlements.

A Spanish manufacturer of railway vehicles and other equipment. Participates in the design and implementation of the Jerusalem Light Rail project, which is partly built in the occupied Palestinian territory.

An Israeli multinational conglomerate of energy, automotive, insurance, and real estate companies. Operates gas stations and convenience stores in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.

An Israeli textile manufacturer with branches in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

South Korea

A Korean multinational conglomerate of power, desalination, heavy machinery, and construction companies. Its subsidiary Bobcat has been used in the construction of the West Bank separation wall and infrastrucure projects in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

One of Israel's largest gas companies. Has gas stations and convenience stores in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

A US multinational IT company. Has a R&D center in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank and facilitates home demolitions of Palestinians.

/*-->*/ Europe's largest online travel company. Its subsidiary Opodo lists locations in occupied Palestinian and Syrian lands.

An Israeli conglomerate of infrastructure, engineering, real estate, and construction companies, involved in multiple construction and infrastructure projects in illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

A US digital tourism and travel company that owns and operates several search and booking websites. Its flagship websites Expedia.com and Hotels.com list locations in occupied Palestinian and Syrian lands.

A major Israeli bank. Financed the construction of housing projects in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. Has branches in settlements.

A US-based manufacturer of solar energy systems. Provides solar panels for a solar farm in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.

A subsidiary of multinational software company Asseco and parent company of Matrix IT and other subsidiaries that provide security systems and IT services to illegal Israeli settlements, the Israeli military, and the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

A Chinese multinational conglomerate with real estate, healthcare, tourism, insurance, wealth management, and manufacturing businesses. Its cosmetics subsidiary AHAVA excavates minerals and operates a visitor center in the occupied West Bank.

One of Israel's largest private security firms, formerly a subsidiary of G4S. Provides security services and equipment to several projects of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, including illegal settlements, military checkpoints, the Israeli police and prison system.

An Israeli manufacturer of bathroom and kitchen products. One of its factories is located in the occupied West Bank.

South Korea

The parent company of Korea Shipbuilding and its subsidiary Hyundai Heavy Industries, whose products are used to demolish homes and to construct illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.

The world's largest cement producer and a leader in the production of aggregates. Operates quarries and manufacturing facilities in the occupied West Bank. Its products have been used to build and expand illegal settlements.

The world's largest shipbuilding company and a major heavy equipment manufacturer. Its products are used to demolish homes and to construct illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.

One of Israel's largest banks. Financed the construction of housing projects in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. Has branches in illegal settlements.

A Chinese manufacturer of solar energy systems. Provides solar panels for a solar farm in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.

A Dutch multinational real estate company. Its Israeli subsidiary Tahal designs sewage infrastructure for illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The parent company of Hyundai Heavy Industries, whose products are used to demolish homes and to construct illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.

One of the largest construction and real estate companies in Israel. Has been involved in multiple construction projects in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli development and construction company. Conducted infrastructure work in military checkpoints in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and involved in the Jerusalem Light Rail system in the occupied West Bank.

One of Israel's largest IT companies. Operates a facility in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli provider of logistics and import-export services. Discriminates in shipping services to Palestinians and has a facility in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli real estate firm. Develops shopping malls in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

One of Israel's largest insurance companies. It routinely finances construction projects in Israel's illegal settlements throughout the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli development, construction and real estate company. Builds residential and commercial projects in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

A US-based multinational minerals company. Its products are used in the construction of a water system for illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli construction engineering company. Builds large scale infrastructure and residential projects in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

One of Israel's largest real estate companies, specializes in properties for industrial or commercial use. Owns multiple industrial spaces in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.

A major Israeli bank. Financed the construction of multiple illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. Has branches in illegal settlements. Discriminates against Palestinian citizens of Israel.

An Israeli development and construction company. Constructs residential and commercial projects in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

A US-based communications and surveillance company. Leading supplier of license plate recognition software. Sells surveillance products for use at US prisons, at the US-Mexico Border, and by US police agencies. Its equipment is installed in illegal settlements and in the separation wall in the West Bank and is used by the Israeli military, police, and prison service.

A major Israeli bank specializing in credit for local municipalities. Financed the construction of public projects in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. Has branches in settlements.

Italy

An Italian furniture manufacturer that has a store in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank.

One of Israel's largest IT companies. Its subsidiary Tescom has facilities in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Israel

An Israeli manufacturer of electronic detection systems. Its equipment is installed in the separation wall and illegal settlement roads in the occupied West Bank.

A Mexican company (formerly Mexichem) operating in the materials, agriculture, and infrastructure industries. Its Israeli subsidiary Netafim, which specializes in precision-irrigation technologies, provides its products and services to several illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

An Israeli development and engineering firm. Operates a quarry and factory in the occupied West Bank and involved in illegal settlement construction.

One of the largest Israeli providers of cellular phone services. Has hundreds of antennas and other communications facilities in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights. Services illegal settlements and military bases in the occupied West Bank.

The largest gas and energy supplier in Israel. Operates gas stations in and supplies cooking gas to illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights. Part of a duopoly with exclusive rights to supply gas to the Gaza strip.

A US-based multinational water company. Its Israeli subsidiary Eden Springs extracts water from the occupied Golan Heights and is headquartered in an illegal settlement there.

Israel’s third largest grocery store chain. Owns real estate and operates stores in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

One of the world’s largest real estate companies. Sells and rents real estate in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Has a franchised office in a settlement.

A French furniture manufacturer that has a store in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli development and construction firm. Builds residential projects in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israel’s largest industrial bread company. Has bakeries in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli construction and infrastructure firm. Operates a quarry and concrete plant in the occupied West Bank and involved in several development projects in illegal settlements there.

An Israeli infrastructure and construction company. Builds infrastructure and residential projects in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and has a factory a factory in a settlement. Involved in building military checkpoints and the Gaza wall.

Israel

Israel’s largest grocery store chain. Has branches and other facilities in multiple illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights. Distributes settlement products under its own brand.

A Chinese solar energy company. Its subsidiary Suntech co-built a solar power station in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and produced solar panels used in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Germany

A German multinational conglomerate in the electronics and industrial engineering industries. Its equipment is installed in illegal settlement roads and a the railway tracks in the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli solar power company. Its systems are installed in  illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

A Japanese manufacturer of electronic, gaming, audio, and video products. Its cameras are used in surveillance systems in the occupied East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.

A US manufacturer of mattresses and other bedding products that has a store in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli solar energy company with projects in the occupied West Bank.

A US manufacturer of trucks and construction equipment. Its products have been used in the construction of the separation wall and railway tracks in the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli staffing services agency. Its subsidiary Reshef Security provides security services to multiple illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.

A Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer. Its vehicles are used by the Israeli security forces and have been involved in guarding illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and in executing home demolitions.

A US digital tourism and travel company that owns and operates several search and booking websites. Its flagship product TripAdvisor.com lists locations in occupied Palestinian and Syrian lands.

An Israeli industrial and residential real estate and logistics company. Owns logistics centers and other facilities in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Sweden

A Swedish manufacturer of cars, trucks, buses, construction equipment, and industrial engines. Its equipment has been used in the demolition of Palestinian homes and the construction of illegal settlements and of the separation wall in the occupied West Bank. Its buses are serving settlements and transport political prisoners.

A Canadian management and consulting firm that specializes in engineering projects. Involved in the planning of the Israel railway system that crosses into the occupied West Bank.

A US-based owner and operator of hotels and resorts that has a hotel in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank.

An Israeli development and construction company. Built residential projects in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Private Companies

Israel's 2nd largest weapon company. Makes surveillance and killer drones and other weapon systems used against civilians. Has facilities in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights.