- Shipping giant Maersk announced it will divest from companies operating in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, aligning its practices with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) guidelines.
- The decision follows an internal review and aims to comply with the OHCHR database, which lists over 100 companies supporting settlements deemed illegal under international law.
- The move comes after a year of protests and campaigns by pro-Palestine and human rights groups, including mass demonstrations and Maersk’s addition to the BDS boycott list in March.
- While welcoming the step, campaigners argue Maersk remains complicit in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza by shipping weapons components, including parts for F-35 fighter jets.
- Activists, including the Palestinian Youth Movement, vow to maintain pressure until Maersk fully cuts ties with the Israeli military and all entities profiting from occupation and alleged war crimes.
Shipping and logistics giant Maersk has announced that it will divest from companies operating in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank to align its business practices with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) guidelines.
The OHCHR database, first published in 2020 and updated in 2023, lists over 100 companies involved in the economic sustenance of settlements, including through construction, transportation and surveillance activities. The settlements, which are home to more than 500,000 Israelis, have long been criticized for contributing to systemic human rights abuses against Palestinians and for undermining the prospects of a two-state solution. (Related: Former IDF minister admits Israel is ethnically cleansing Gaza to create Greater Israel.)
Maersk confirmed on June 23 that the company will align its business practices with the OHCHR guidelines, which detail enterprises involved in Israeli settlements considered illegal under international law.
“Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began, and as it has escalated, we have strengthened our screening and compliance measures. Re-assessing our processes is an ongoing priority, and we do so in dialogue with relevant stakeholders.
“If we identify or become aware of business procedures that conflict with our policies, we respond promptly – by halting the practice, modifying the procedure or taking other corrective action to align with our commitment to international standards.
“Following a recent review of transports related to the West Bank, we further strengthened our screening procedures in relation to Israeli settlements, including aligning our screening process with the OHCHR database of enterprises involved in activities in the settlements. We will continue to review our actions to align with the internationally agreed standards for responsible business practices and any applicable law and regulation,” the company stated in its official release.
PYM will continue to build pressure “until Maersk cuts all ties to genocide”
The announcement comes after a year of intensifying protests and organized pressure from human rights advocates and pro-Palestine groups.
In February, nearly 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside the company’s Copenhagen headquarters. Similar protests have taken place in New York and Morocco. In March, Maersk was officially added to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign’s list of companies complicit in Israeli apartheid and war crimes.
Though Palestinian rights campaigners welcomed the decision to align with the OHCHR guidelines, they also argued that the move only scratched the surface of Maersk’s complicity in Israel’s ongoing occupation and military campaign in Gaza.
“Maersk continues to profit from the genocide of our people – regularly shipping F-35 components used to bomb and massacre Palestinians,” said Aisha Nizar of the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM). “We will continue to build pressure and mobilize people power until Maersk cuts all ties to genocide and ends the transport of weapons and weapons components to Israel.”
Nizar also emphasized that Maersk’s withdrawal from settlement-linked companies sent “a clear message to the global shipping industry that compliance with international law and basic human rights is not optional.”
“Doing business with Israel’s illegal settlements is no longer viable and the world is watching to see who follows next,” Nizar added.
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Sources include:
MiddleEastEye.net
Maersk.com
Brighteon.com
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