¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·

Israel’s war on Gaza continues because it is lucrative for many big corporations, according to a new report released by  United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), Francesca Albanese, reports Al Jazeera.

Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023. In an expert opinion in the past year, Albanese said there were ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe Israel was committing genocide in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Albanese’s report, which is scheduled to be presented at a news conference in Geneva on Thursday, names 48 corporations, including United States-based tech giants Microsoft, Alphabet Inc. – Google’s parent company – and Amazon, mentions the article published by Al Jazeera on its website on July 1. 

Albanese’s report stated that its findings illustrate ‘why Israel’s genocide continues’.

‘Because it is lucrative for many,’ it said.

‘[Israel’s] forever-occupation has become the ideal testing ground for arms manufacturers and Big Tech – providing significant supply and demand, little oversight, and zero accountability – while investors and private and public institutions profit freely,’ the report said.

‘Companies are no longer merely implicated in occupation – they may be embedded in an economy of genocide,’ it said, in a reference to Israel’s ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip.

According to the Al Jazeera article, a database of more than 1000 corporate entities was also put together as part of the investigation.

Israel’s procurement of F-35 fighter jets is part of the world’s largest arms procurement programme, relying on at least 1,600 companies across eight nations. It is led by US-based Lockheed Martin, but F-35 components are constructed globally.

The report also listed Italian manufacturer Leonardo S.p.A, Japan’s FANUC Corporation, which provides robotic machinery for weapons production lines.

Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon grant Israel 'virtually government-wide access to their cloud and AI technologies’, enhancing its data processing and surveillance capacities, mentions the report.

The US tech company IBM has also been responsible for training military and intelligence personnel and managing the central database of Israel’s Population, Immigration and Borders Authority that stores the biometric data of Palestinians, the report said.

The report found that US software platform Palantir Technologies expanded its support to the Israeli military since the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023.

Besides, Caterpillar, Leonardo-owned Rada Electronic Industries, South Korea’s HD Hyundai and Sweden’s Volvo Group provide heavy machinery for home demolitions and the development of illegal settlements in the West Bank and rental platforms Booking and Airbnb also aid illegal settlements by listing properties and hotel rooms in Israeli-occupied territory.

The report named the US’s Drummond Company and Switzerland’s Glencore as the primary suppliers of coal, originating primarily from Colombia, for electricity to Israel.

Chinese Bright Dairy & Food is a majority owner of Tnuva, Israel’s largest food conglomerate, which benefits from land seized from Palestinians in Israel’s illegal outposts.

Netafim, that is 80-per cent owned by Mexico’s Orbia Advance Corporation, provides infrastructure to exploit water resources in the occupied West Bank.

Besides, some of the world’s largest banks, including France’s BNP Paribas and the UK’s Barclays, have been listed as having stepped in to allow Israel to contain the interest rate premium despite a credit downgrade.

The report identified US multinational investment companies BlackRock and Vanguard as the main investors behind several listed companies.

Global insurance companies, including Allianz and AXA, invested large sums in shares and bonds linked to Israel’s occupation, the report said, partly as capital reserves but primarily to generate returns.

The report called on companies to divest from all activities linked to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, which is illegal under international law.