How Western Banks Contribute to Discrimination, Displacement and Land Theft in Palestine

Rasa - Human Rights Watch (HRW) has just released a new report about Israel and its banks which are financing the regime’s “unlawful” settlement construction activities on the occupied territories, contributing to serious human rights violations and war crimes against Palestinians.

News ID: 437982

Date: 31 May 2018 - 23:12

RNA - In its 41-page report published this week, the New York-based rights group says Israel’s seven largest banks provide services to these illegal settlements and facilitate their expansion, thus abetting unlawful population transfers.

HRW says: “The transfer by the occupier of members of its civilian population into the occupied territory, and the deportation or transfer of members of the population of the territory, are war crimes.”

There is no doubt, however, that these banks also have easy access to major banks and financial institutions in Europe and the United States. In fact, the bankrupt Israeli banks act as front companies, only transferring the money from Western governments’ funds and private finances and donations to construction projects. They also help Israeli banks provide loans to settlement authorities and buyers and operate bank branches there.

In other words, Western banks and Israeli banks are partnering with developers to build illegal homes reserved exclusively for Israelis on Palestinian land. To that end, Western banks and companies have even opened branches in illegal settlements to facilitate this trade. In doing so, they contribute to displacing Palestinians unlawfully, which makes them complicit in Israeli crimes, despite knowing that the settlements contribute to a discriminatory regime in which Israeli authorities restrict and stunt Palestinian economic development and contribute to serious human rights abuses.

On that note, it doesn’t help for Western banks, companies and governments to claim that their business conduct in or with settlements cannot mitigate or contribute to these abuses, because the activities they conduct take place on unlawfully seized land, under conditions of discrimination, and through a serious violation of Israel’s obligations as an occupying power.

The question now is what next? Well, not much, that is unless Western banks cease doing businesses in or with Israeli banks and settlements. Lest they forget, they cannot do business in settlements without contributing to discrimination, displacement, and land theft. To avoid this outcome, they should end all their settlement activities and financial contributions. They should also join the international civil society in boycotting Israel.

Further on, the world community and the United Nations should take necessary measures against Israeli banks for abusing the Palestinian people’s rights in occupied territories.

Such measures are now much more necessary than ever, seeing that Israel plans to build 2,500 new settler units in West Bank. And it is Western banks and financial support that has emboldened Israel to do this. Add to this the all-out support of US President Donald Trump, and you will realize why the usurper regime is stepping up its illegal settlement construction activities in the occupied territories in defiance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334.

According to Fars News Agancy, the resolution states that Israel’s establishment of “settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem Al-Quds, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”

All told, crimes against humanity are being committed in front of our eyes and nobody of conscience can remain silent. The horrors continue and global boycott of Israel and resistance to these crimes must become much more broad, diverse, and determined.

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