Israel condemns publication of the discriminatory so-called U.N. "database" of businesses with ties to Jewish neighborhoods

"Israel condemns the publication of the discriminatory so-called 'database' of enterprises doing business in Israeli settlements, pursuant to a resolution of the Human Rights Council adopted in 2016, under item 7.

Israel profoundly laments that the High Commissioner succumbed to pressures to publish this defamatory blacklist, and that she has turned her office into an instrument of those pursuing a discriminatory and politically motivated agenda, seeking to sanction companies not engaged in any unlawful activity, and becoming an accomplice of the BDS movement.

Bearing in mind the mandate, competence and methodology of the Council and the OHCHR, the "database" is by definition partial, selective, unreliable and flawed. The list is not based on any acceptable judicial or quasi-judicial process; it was compiled using selective naming and shaming, relying on partial information and politically biased sources. It cannot be regarded as indicating that a company has been engaged in the claimed activity or in any wrongdoing.

With the publication of this list, the High Commissioner has lost all credibility or ability to promote human rights in our region. The publication of the list will lead to severe consequences for the relations between Israel and OHCHR.

Israel calls on all companies not to submit to these boycott measures, but rather, to join the hundreds of Israeli and international companies who operate in Israel, with full respect for the norms of corporate social responsibility and human rights."