Abbas receives HRW report on Israeli human rights violations

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday received a detailed report on how illegal settlements in the West Bank contribute to Israel’s violations of human rights, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The report by Human Rights Watch, titled “Occupation, Inc.: How Settlement Businesses Contribute to Israel’s Violations of Palestinian Rights” was handed to Abbas during a meeting with an NGO delegation in Ramallah.

According to the report, Israeli and international businesses have helped build, finance, service and market settlement communities.

“It is Human Rights Watch’s view that by virtue of doing business in or with settlements or settlement businesses, companies contribute to violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses,” the report said.

“Settlement businesses depend on and benefit from Israel’s unlawful confiscation of Palestinian land and other resources, and facilitate the functioning and growth of settlements. Settlement-related activities also directly benefit from Israel’s discriminatory policies in planning and zoning, the allocation of land, natural resources, financial incentives, and access to utilities and infrastructure which result in the forced displacement of Palestinians and place Palestinians at an enormous disadvantage in comparison with settlers,” the report adds.

The watchdog called for a consumer boycott of settlement companies and for businesses to comply with their own human rights responsibilities by ceasing settlement-related activities.

WAFA said Abbas explained the latest developments in the political arena and the Israeli violations against the Palestinian people to the delegation.

Israel has yet to comment on the report.

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