The war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank since 7 October 2023 have been escalating.
It has become clear that the genocide, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement will not end soon, especially with the international peace and security system's failure to curb the Israeli war machine and the complicity of influential parties with the Israeli aggression.
The last hope remains in the international human rights mechanisms, which adapted respectful stances consistent with human values and international law despite the enormous pressure they are subjected to.
According to the UN Global Compact, the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 2011, and the OECD Guidelines, all companies must protect and respect human rights in all their operations, supply chains, products, and services.
They should adopt human rights due diligence to avoid involvement in violations or creating significant impacts on human rights.
The bloody fighting that has been ongoing for about 17 months has revealed that a large number of companies and business institutions, both Israeli and multinational, are directly or indirectly involved in the violations and crimes committed by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
This can be done by providing Israel with technologies, products, and services used directly in killing increasing numbers of civilians, destroying infrastructure, and forcing displacement.
It can also be done through providing the Israeli occupation forces with non-military supplies and equipment (food and medicine, for example) as they commit crimes punishable under international humanitarian law and criminalized by international bills of human rights.
Moreover, many companies support settlement activities, which are criminalized under international law.
However, some regional and international groups have taken positive steps over the past years, most notably the UN Human Rights Council Resolution 31/36 issued in March 2016 regarding Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The resolution requests that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights take the necessary steps to establish a database of all companies involved in settlement activities.
The European Commission also issued a directive in 2015, which requires EU member states to begin labeling products originating from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
What we are proposing here is not merely to stop at the limits of the trade boycott, which is an important societal act, but rather to go beyond that to revive the legal obligations of companies and business institutions.
We need to effectively utilize the tools of international human rights law to confront Israeli crimes and remind companies and business institutions of their legal and moral responsibilities to refrain from complicity in the heinous crimes that Palestinians are experiencing in Gaza and the West Bank.
Arab national human rights institutions and civil society organizations should take the initiative to coordinate with Palestinian governmental and non-governmental bodies to monitor and document the practices of companies and business institutions that contribute, directly or indirectly, to supporting Israeli crimes.
They may also cooperate with relevant UN mechanisms, most notably the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Human Rights Council, and the Working Group on Business and Human Rights.
Furthermore, they should coordinate with the growing global initiatives on business and human rights.
It is necessary to take advantage of the opportunities provided by international forums, especially the annual Forum on Business and Human Rights, to expose the irresponsible behavior of companies involved in Israeli war crimes.
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