Israel freezes ties with UN HCHR over blacklist

Denouncing the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights blacklisting of 112 businesses operating in Judea and Samaria, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said: “Those who boycott use, we will boycott them.” The list includes major Israeli firms as well as such international companies as Airbnb, Expedia, TripAdvisor, General Mills and Motorola Solutions in the US; Booking Holdings, Altice Europe and Kardan in the Netherlands; Egis Group and Alstom in France and JCB and Opodo in the United Kingdom. Netanyahu accused High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet of serving the BDS campaign against Israel.

In Washington both the House and Senate Foreign Affairs Committees rejected the OHCHR report. Chairman Jim Rich of the Senate committee said it was “unacceptable” and instead of dealing with human rights, it devotes a disproportionate amount of time to denouncing Israel. The House Chairman, Elliot Engel, rejected the step as “wrongheaded,’

The list has no legal significance for the businesses concerned, said the foreign ministry in Jerusalem. The OHCHR council holds its annual meeting on Feb. 24 when all member states will be called on to ban the companies on the list.

 

 

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