At least 17 companies linked to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank hold United Kingdom public-sector contracts worth over £2.1 billion, a figure significantly exceeding previous estimates, according to a new Al Jazeera investigation. This represents a substantial and growing financial commitment, raising serious questions about the UK’s continued commercial ties with these settlements.
The investigation, based on extensive procurement records, company filings, and corporate disclosures, reveals that businesses named by the United Nations over their involvement in illegal Israeli settlements – and companies those businesses ultimately own or control as subsidiaries – have secured contracts across various sectors, including road maintenance, transport, emergency services, and driving licensing. These contracts span across the British public sector, impacting vital services and infrastructure.
The findings stem from analysis of data collected by public procurement analysts Tussell and shared with Al Jazeera. The total value of these contracts, as of 2024, exceeds £2.129 billion, representing a considerable shift from previous estimates. The data points to a complex network of financial flows, with companies like Motorola Solutions, the US technology giant, contributing significantly to the total value, accounting for more than 1.7 billion pounds ($2.3bn).
The investigation highlights a pattern of embedded Israeli businesses within the infrastructure of settlements. The UN identifies five corporate groups – Motorola, United States technology and communications giant, the German multinational building materials company Heidelberg Materials, the French engineering group Egis, and the Spanish train manufacturer CAF – as being involved in illegal Israeli settlements. These companies are directly or indirectly linked to the provision of security services, equipment, and materials to settlements, including the maintenance of infrastructure and the operation of security systems.
The UK government is facing mounting pressure to ban trade with illegal settlements, a move recently being considered by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The investigation suggests a potential failure of legal and ethical oversight, with concerns that the UK may be inadvertently supporting Israel’s economic of occupation.
Furthermore, the investigation reveals that the UK has issued warnings to businesses against bidding for construction tenders in settlements, citing potential legal and reputational risks. The government has also stated a commitment to preventing further commercial relationships with Israeli entities, a move that has triggered a debate about the UK’s broader role in the Israeli-occupied territories.
The investigation reveals that several companies are directly involved in the provision of essential services and utilities to the settlement network. The United Nations has identified the five corporate groups as involved in business activities related to illegal Israeli settlements. These include the supply of security services, equipment and materials to enterprises operating in settlements, including transport and the maintenance of infrastructure. The Ministry of Defence contracted a specific contract worth 1.562 billion pounds ($2.13bn) to provide the secure communications network for police, fire and ambulance services across England, Scotland and Wales. This contract is for the maintenance of approximately 19,000 police radios and encryption licences until April 2028.
Motorola Solutions Inc, a US technology and communications giant, is the largest beneficiary of the UK public money that we investigated, holding 1.7 billion pounds ($2.3bn) of contracts. The company’s involvement includes providing security services, equipment and materials to enterprises operating in settlements, including transport and the maintenance of infrastructure. The largest contract identified by the UN is held by Airwave Solutions, a Motorola subsidiary. The Home Office awarded Airwave an extension worth 1.562 billion pounds ($2.13bn) to provide the secure communications network for police, fire and ambulance services across England, Scotland and Wales. The company’s contracts include 60 million pounds ($81.9m) from Westmorland and Furness Council for road surfacing and highway works between 2024 and 2027, and a 50-million-pound ($68.3m) surfacing maintenance contract with Somerset Council.
Egis, a French engineering group, provides another type of connection via transport infrastructure linking illegal Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem with the rest of the city. It’s involved in the “provision of services and utilities supporting the maintenance and expansion of settlements, including transport”. The UN lists Egis in connection with the ‘provision of services and utilities supporting the maintenance and expansion of settlements, including transport’. Egis’s own material shows that its involvement in Jerusalem’s expanding light-rail network continues today, with the company website advertising a job for an engineering expert based in Jerusalem on its light-rail projects.
The UK government is now facing mounting pressure to implement stricter regulations to prevent further commercial ties with Israeli settlements, a move that could significantly impact the UK’s economic and political landscape. The investigation underscores the complex and evolving dynamics surrounding these settlements, highlighting the potential for illicit financial flows and the implications for the UK’s international standing.”
Source: Al Jazeera
