(JTA) — The release of a United Nations list of companies that do business in West Bank settlements has been delayed.
The U.N.’s high commissioner for human rights, Michele Bachelet, announced Tuesday that the list of companies, which was to be released by the U.N. Human Rights Council during its session ending on March 22, would be delayed due to the “novelty of the mandate and its legal, methodological and factual complexity,” Reuters reported.
The so-called blacklist is said to include American companies such as Caterpillar, TripAdvisor and Priceline.com, as well as dozens of Israeli firms. It is supposed to be updated annually.
The Trump administration has urged the Human Rights Council not to publish it, saying it is counterproductive to Israeli-Palestinian peace initiatives.
The council has no power to sanction any of the companies on the list, but other U.N. committees could use the list to do so.
Bachelet’s predecessor, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, also had postponed publishing of the list.
The World Jewish Congress applauded the move and said the “tendentious” list should be canceled because it could “inadvertently lead to the targeting of Jewish communities and fuel antisemitism around the world.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
