UN Pares Down List of Firms Doing Business with Israeli Settlements

A general view shows the Jewish settlement of Kedar in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 25, 2023. (Reuters)
A general view shows the Jewish settlement of Kedar in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 25, 2023. (Reuters)
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UN Pares Down List of Firms Doing Business with Israeli Settlements

A general view shows the Jewish settlement of Kedar in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 25, 2023. (Reuters)
A general view shows the Jewish settlement of Kedar in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 25, 2023. (Reuters)

The UN rights office has updated a list of companies doing business with Israeli settlements, removing 15 companies from the database that were no longer involved, a spokesperson said on Friday.

The long-awaited update was limited in scope due to budget restrictions and was only able to review the original list of 112 companies, UN human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a press briefing.

The database was mandated by the UN Human Rights Council in 2016 but was not released until 2020.

Most of the firms it named were domiciled in Israel, but it also included international firms listed in the United States, Britain and France, among others.



China Says It Opposes Any Violation of Lebanon’s Sovereignty

 People gather at the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP)
People gather at the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP)
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China Says It Opposes Any Violation of Lebanon’s Sovereignty

 People gather at the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP)
People gather at the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP)

China opposes any violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, China's foreign ministry said on its website on Sunday after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Nasrallah's death is widely considered a significant blow to the Iran-aligned group as it reels from an escalating campaign of Israeli attacks.

China urges all parties and especially Israel to immediately cool the situation and prevent the conflict from expanding or "even getting out of control", the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on its website.

China "opposes and condemns all action that harms innocent civilians and opposes any move that exacerbates conflict," the foreign ministry said.