Dozens of international NGOs have launched a joint initiative demanding that governments in Europe and the United Kingdom halt all commercial and investment dealings connected to "Israel's" settlement enterprise in the occupied West Bank.

The coalition of 84 organizations, including Oxfam, Amnesty International, the Human Rights League, and the Platform of French NGOs for Palestine, unveiled the campaign Monday. They are urging states to block trade, loans, and partnerships that contribute to settlement expansion, which is widely recognized as illegal under international law and condemned by the United Nations.

Targeting companies and banks

The NGOs' report named several corporations tied to settlement-linked business. French retailer Carrefour was criticized for its 2022 franchise agreement with Electra Consumer Products and its subsidiary Yenot Bitan, which operates "at least nine" outlets in West Bank settlements. Carrefour insisted to France Inter radio that the contract "excludes any stores located in the occupied territories."

British equipment manufacturer JCB was accused of providing bulldozers and other machinery used in the demolition of Palestinian homes and farmland and in the building of settlement infrastructure. Spanish travel company eDreams-Opodo, German tourism group TUI, Siemens, Danish shipping giant Maersk, and Barclays Bank were also listed for offering services or financing linked to settlements.

Some firms, including Maersk and Opodo-eDreams, have since altered their practices following engagement with the NGOs.

Settlement project condemned

Oxfam warned that "Israel's" settlement drive "has fragmented the West Bank and destroyed the Palestinian economy, resulting in widespread poverty and suffering."

The campaign comes as the Israeli regime accelerates construction. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared last week that there would be "no Palestinian state," while presiding over the launch of a major settlement project. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reinforced the message by supporting plans to build 3,400 homes in the highly sensitive E1 corridor east of occupied al-Quds, a project long seen by the international community as a "red line" because it would sever the northern and southern West Bank.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the plan would effectively split Palestinian territory in two and pose an "existential threat" to a viable state. His remarks follow growing concern that "Israel's" far-right coalition, emboldened by ministers such as Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, is pursuing policies that openly defy international consensus and aim to entrench permanent occupation.

Legal and political backdrop

The NGO appeal builds on a growing body of legal precedent. While settlement goods may still be imported into Europe, they cannot benefit from tariff preferences under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. A 2019 EU court ruling requires that products from settlements be explicitly labeled.

More recently, a landmark July 2024 opinion from the European Court of Justice concluded that EU member states are obligated to "abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings with Israel concerning the Occupied Palestinian Territory" and must prevent financial relations that help sustain the settlement system.

This opinion has bolstered calls within the EU Parliament and among member states for tougher enforcement measures, including outright bans on settlement-linked trade and investment. The NGO initiative seeks to accelerate this momentum by presenting concrete cases of corporate complicity.

Read more: Former EU diplomats urge Europe to suspend cooperation with 'Israel'

The NGOs' move follows earlier warnings by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, who urged governments to end complicity with settlement expansion.

With "Israel's" leadership vowing to block Palestinian statehood and expand settlements, civil society groups argue that Europe and the UK can no longer hide behind labelling requirements, but must adopt decisive restrictions on settlement-linked commerce.