A/HRC/RES/55/32
Gravely concerned about all acts of terror, violence, destruction, harassment,
provocation and incitement by extremist Israeli settlers and groups of armed settlers in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, against Palestinian civilians,
including children, and their properties, including historic and religious sites and agricultural
lands, which constitute a long-standing and State-sponsored phenomenon aimed at, inter alia,
accelerating the forcible transfer of the occupied population and facilitating the expansion of
settlements,
Expressing grave concern at the impunity for acts of settler violence and terrorism,
stressing the failure of Israel to properly investigate and ensure accountability for all of those
acts, despite knowledge of the identities of settlers engaged in acts of violence, intimidation
or terror against Palestinian civilians, often with military support and under the protection of
and with the participation of Israeli occupying forces, and stressing also the need for
international investigations in this regard,
Gravely concerned by the detrimental impact of the Israeli settlements on Palestinian
and other Arab natural resources, especially as a result of the appropriation of land, denial of
access to farmers and the dispossession of their land and crops, the forced diversion of water
resources, the destruction of orchards and crops and the seizure of water wells by Israeli
settlers, and of the dire socioeconomic and humanitarian consequences in this regard,
including the loss of livelihoods in the agricultural sector, which precludes the Palestinian
people from being able to exercise permanent sovereignty over their natural resources,
Acknowledging that numerous Israeli policies and practices relating to settlement
activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, amount to blatant
discrimination, including through the creation of a system privileging Israeli settlements and
settlers against the Palestinian people, and in violation of their human rights,
Recalling the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which place
responsibilities on all business enterprises to respect human rights by, inter alia, refraining
from contributing to human rights abuses arising from conflict, and calling upon States to
take appropriate steps to prevent, investigate, punish and redress human rights abuses through
effective policies, legislation, regulations and adjudication, including by providing adequate
assistance to business enterprises to assess and address the heightened risks of abuses in
conflict-affected areas and ensuring that their current policies, legislation, regulations and
enforcement measures are effective in addressing the risk of business involvement in gross
human rights abuses,
Noting that, in situations of armed conflict, business enterprises should respect the
standards of international humanitarian law, and concerned that some business enterprises
have, directly and indirectly, enabled, facilitated and profited from the construction and
growth of the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,
Emphasizing the importance for States to act in accordance with their own national
legislation on promoting compliance with international humanitarian law with regard to
business activities that result in human rights abuses,
Concerned that economic activities, including the production and trade of settlement
goods, facilitate the expansion and entrenchment of settlements, thus strengthening and
perpetuating the Israeli occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East
Jerusalem,
Aware that the conditions of harvesting and production of products made in
settlements involve the breach of applicable legal norms, including international
humanitarian law, human rights, permanent sovereignty over natural resources and the right
to self-determination of the Palestinian people, and calling upon all States to respect their
legal obligations in this regard, including the obligation to ensure respect for the Fourth
Geneva Convention,
Aware also that products wholly or partially produced in settlements have been
labelled as originating from Israel, and concerned about the significant role that the
production and trade of such products plays in helping to support and maintain the
settlements,
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