UK has billions in contracts with firms tied to illegal Israeli settlements

Key Points:

• An Al Jazeera investigation found that at least 17 companies linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank hold UK public-sector contracts worth over £2.1 billion ($2.85bn), including major firms like Motorola Solutions and Heidelberg Materials.
• The companies provide services across various UK public sectors such as emergency communications, road maintenance, and transport, despite being identified by the UN for involvement in settlement-related activities deemed illegal under international law.
• UK Labour MPs are urging the government to ban trade with these settlements, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham reportedly considering such a move, amid concerns the UK may be breaching international obligations by continuing contracts with these firms.
• Key companies include Motorola Solutions, deeply embedded in security infrastructure for settlements, Heidelberg Materials owning a quarry on occupied land, and CAF and Egis involved in Jerusalem’s light-rail network, which critics say supports settlement expansion.
• The UK government maintains that public procurement decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and that boycotting suppliers linked to other countries is only done under formal sanctions, despite civil rights groups accusing the UK of complicity in sustaining illegal settlements.