Oslo (AFP)
Norway’s largest pension fund announced Monday it had divested assets in 16 companies for their links to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including telecom equipment giant Motorola.
“Motorola and other companies risk complicity in international law violations in occupied Palestine,” KLP, which manages some 95 billion dollars (80 billion euros) worth of assets, said in a statement.
The divestment follows the February 2020 UN publication of a list of 112 companies with activities linked to Israeli settlements, considered illegal under international law.
Israel’s government has denounced the publication of the list — which included companies like Airbnb, Expedia, Motorola and Tripadvisor — as a “contemptible effort”.
“Divesting from Motorola Solutions was a very straightforward decision over its surveillance role in the occupied territories,” KLP said, arguing the company provide software used in border surveillance.
KLP also divested telecom operators offering services within the West Bank as they contributed to making “the settlements attractive residential areas.”
These included Altice Europe, Bezeq, Cellcom Israel and Partner Communications.
Also included are five banks that facilitated or financed the construction of housing and infrastructure in occupied territories, as well as engineering and construction groups, including the French multinational Alstom.
In late June, KLP announced its divestment of the Indian port and logistics group Adani Ports because of its links to the Burmese military junta.
Another Norwegian fund, the sovereign wealth fund, which is the largest in the world, has also excluded several companies in the past because of their connections to Israeli settlements.
The occupation of Palestinian territories is considered illegal by the United Nations.
More than 600,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where tensions often flare up between settlers and the Palestinian population.
Below is a list of all the companies named by the UN:
| Business enterprises involved in listed activities | |||
| Business enterprise | State concerned | ||
| 1 | Afikim Public Transportation Ltd. | Israel | |
| 2 | Airbnb Inc. | United States | |
| 3 | American Israeli Gas Corporation Ltd. | Israel | |
| 4 | Amir Marketing and Investments in Agriculture Ltd. | Israel | |
| 5 | Amos Hadar Properties and Investments Ltd. | Israel | |
| 6 | Angel Bakeries | Israel | |
| 7 | Archivists Ltd. | Israel | |
| 8 | Ariel Properties Group | Israel | |
| 9 | Ashtrom Industries Ltd. | Israel | |
| 10 | Ashtrom Properties Ltd. | Israel | |
| 11 | Avgol Industries 1953 Ltd. | Israel | |
| 12 | Bank Hapoalim B.M. | Israel | |
| 13 | Bank Leumi Le-Israel B.M. | Israel | |
| 14 | Bank of Jerusalem Ltd. | Israel | |
| 15 | Beit Haarchiv Ltd. | Israel | |
| 16 | Bezeq, the Israel TelecommunicationCorp | Israel | |
| 17 | Booking.com B.V. | Netherlands | |
| 18 | C Mer Industries Ltd. | Israel | |
| 19 | Café Café Israel Ltd. | Israel | |
| 20 | Caliber 3 | Israel | |
| 21 | Cellcom Israel Ltd. | Israel | |
| 22 | Cherriessa Ltd. | Israel | |
| 23 | Chish Nofei Israel Ltd. | Israel | |
| 24 | Citadis Israel Ltd. | Israel | |
| 25 | Comasco Ltd. | Israel | |
| 26 | Darban Investments Ltd. | Israel | |
| 27 | Delek Group Ltd. | Israel | |
| 28 | Delta Israel | Israel | |
| 29 | Dor Alon Energy in Israel 1988 Ltd. | Israel | |
| 30 | Egis Rail | France | |
| 31 | Egged, Israel Transportation Cooperative Society Ltd. | Israel | |
| 32 | Energix Renewable Energies Ltd. | Israel | |
| 33 | EPR Systems Ltd. | Israel | |
| 34 | Extal Ltd. | Israel | |
| 35 | Expedia Group Inc. | United States | |
| 36 | Field Produce Ltd. | Israel | |
| 37 | Field Produce Marketing Ltd. | Israel | |
| 38 | First International Bank of Israel Ltd. | Israel | |
| 39 | Galshan Shvakim Ltd. | Israel | |
| 40 | General Mills Israel Ltd. | Israel | |
| 41 | Hadiklaim Israel Date Growers Cooperative Ltd. | Israel | |
| 42 | Hot Mobile Ltd. | Israel | |
| 43 | Hot Telecommunications Systems Ltd. | Israel | |
| 44 | Industrial Buildings Corporation Ltd. | Israel | |
| 45 | Israel Discount Bank Ltd. | Israel | |
| 46 | Israel Railways Corporation Ltd. | Israel | |
| 47 | Italek Ltd. | Israel | |
| 48 | JC Bamford Excavators Ltd. | United Kingdom | |
| 49 | Jerusalem Economy Ltd. | Israel | |
| 50 | Kavim Public Transportation Ltd. | Israel | |
| 51 | Lipski Installation and Sanitation Ltd. | Israel | |
| 52 | Matrix IT Ltd. | Israel | |
| 53 | Mayer Davidov Garages Ltd. | Israel | |
| 54 | Mekorot Water Company Ltd. | Israel | |
| 55 | Mercantile Discount Bank Ltd. | Israel | |
| 56 | Merkavim Transportation Technologies Ltd. | Israel | |
| 57 | Mizrahi Tefahot Bank Ltd. | Israel | |
| 58 | Modi’in Ezrachi Group Ltd. | Israel | |
| 59 | Mordechai Aviv Taasiot Beniyah 1973 Ltd. | Israel | |
| 60 | Motorola Solutions Israel Ltd. | Israel | |
| 61 | Municipal Bank Ltd. | Israel | |
| 62 | Naaman Group Ltd. | Israel | |
| 63 | Nof Yam Security Ltd. | Israel | |
| 64 | Ofertex Industries 1997 Ltd. | Israel | |
| 65 | Opodo Ltd. | United Kingdom | |
| 66 | Bank Otsar Ha-Hayal Ltd. | Israel | |
| 67 | Partner Communications Company Ltd. | Israel | |
| 68 | Paz Oil Company Ltd. | Israel | |
| 69 | Pelegas Ltd. | Israel | |
| 70 | Pelephone Communications Ltd. | Israel | |
| 71 | Proffimat S.R. Ltd. | Israel | |
| 72 | Rami Levy Chain Stores Hashikma Marketing 2006 Ltd. | Israel | |
| 73 | Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing Communication Ltd. | Israel | |
| 74 | Re/Max Israel | Israel | |
| 75 | Shalgal Food Ltd. | Israel | |
| 76 | Shapir Engineering and Industry Ltd. | Israel | |
| 77 | Shufersal Ltd. | Israel | |
| 78 | Sonol Israel Ltd. | Israel | |
| 79 | Superbus Ltd. | Israel | |
| 80 | Supergum Industries 1969 Ltd. | Israel | |
| 81 | Tahal Group International B.V. | Netherlands | |
| 82 | TripAdvisor Inc. | United States | |
| 83 | Twitoplast Ltd. | Israel | |
| 84 | Unikowsky Maoz Ltd. | Israel | |
| 85 | YES | Israel | |
| 86 | Zakai Agricultural Know-how and inputs Ltd. | Israel | |
| 87 | ZF Development and Construction | Israel | |
| 88 | ZMH Hammermand Ltd. | Israel | |
| 89 | Zorganika Ltd. | Israel | |
| 90 | Zriha Hlavin Industries Ltd. | Israel | |
| Business enterprises involved as parent companies | |||
| 91 | Alon Blue Square Israel Ltd. | Israel | |
| 92 | Alstom S.A. | France | |
| 93 | Altice Europe N.V. | Netherlands | |
| 94 | Amnon Mesilot Ltd. | Israel | |
| 95 | Ashtrom Group Ltd. | Israel | |
| 96 | Booking Holdings Inc. | United States | |
| 97 | Brand Industries Ltd. | Israel | |
| 98 | Delta Galil Industries Ltd. | Israel | |
| 99 | eDreams ODIGEO S.A. | Luxembourg | |
| 100 | Egis S.A. | France | |
| 101 | Electra Ltd. | Israel | |
| 102 | Export Investment Company Ltd. | Israel | |
| 103 | General Mills Inc. | United States | |
| 104 | Hadar Group | Israel | |
| 105 | Hamat Group Ltd. | Israel | |
| 106 | Indorama Ventures P.C.L. | Thailand | |
| 107 | Kardan N.V. | Netherlands | |
| 108 | Mayer’s Cars and Trucks Co. Ltd. | Israel | |
| 109 | Motorola Solutions Inc. | United States | |
| 110 | Natoon Group | Israel | |
| 111 | Villar International Ltd. | Israel | |
| Business enterprises involved as licensors or franchisors | |||
| 112 | Greenkote P.L.C. |
© 2021 AFP/ France 24
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