Airbnb and Expedia among firms tied to West Bank settlements: UN report

​The UN human rights office has named 158 companies with operations in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The updated database, published on Friday, added 68 firms since its last release in 2023. The list includes travel giants Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor.

German cement producer Heidelberg Materials was also added, though it told Reuters it no longer operates in Palestinian territory and disputed its inclusion. Most of the new names were Israeli-based.

Seven firms were removed from the list, among them UK-registered Opodo and Spanish company eDreams ODIGEO, after the UN said there were grounds to believe they had ceased settlement-linked activities.

The rights office said the companies were engaged in activities raising “particular human rights concerns,” but none of the travel platforms responded to Reuters requests for comment.

Israel rejected the report, accusing the UN of unfairly targeting firms. Its mission in Geneva said the database “is meant to serve as a blacklist against businesses that have committed no wrongdoing,” insisting international law does not prohibit business activity in conflict zones.