Who benefits: The companies benefitting from Israeli occupation

[Magda Hassan]

http://www.whoprofits.org/index.php
Companies involved in the Israeli occupation. Those involved in the settlements industry, economic exploitation of Palestinains and the control of the Palestinian people.

The Settlement Industry

Since the 1967 military occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights, Israel has built in these occupied territories civilian colonies, or settlements, and encouraged Israeli citizens and industries to move into them. Presently there are 135 Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and dozens of additional “outposts” – settlements not yet officially recognized by the Israeli government. These house over 562,000 Jewish Israeli residents: 282,000 in the West Bank (excluding Jerusalem), 260,000 in neighborhoods built in Arab Jerusalem or annexed to Jerusalem, and 20,000 in the Golan Heights.

The Israeli civilian construction has been one of the methods in which occupied areas were effectively annexed, partially or in full, into Israel. The on-going construction includes housing developments as well as extensive infrastructure projects such as roads and water systems for the exclusive use of Israeli settlers, on lands confiscated from Palestinians or declared “state lands” in various ways. The Israeli colonizing efforts are illegal by international law that stipulates that an occupying power moving its citizens into an occupied area is in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and any permanent changes made in the occupied land for such settlers is in violation of The Hague Regulations.

In this section of the database, we distinguish between three different forms of corporate involvement in the settlement industry: Israeli companies which are located in the settlements and thus use the resources of Palestinian land and labor in their production; Companies involved in sustaining the settlements and connecting them to Israel; Companies involved in real estate deals and the construction of Israeli infrastructure and settlements on occupied land.
Involvement Categories Settlements' ProductsIsraeli Construction on Occupied LandServices to the Settlements
Settlements' Products Israeli industrial zones within the occupied territories hold hundreds of companies, ranging from small businesses serving the local Israeli settlers to large factories which export their products worldwide. Several settlements, especially in the Jordan Valley and the Golan Heights, produce agricultural goods, such as fruits and flowers, and sell them in Israel and abroad.

Settlement production benefits from low rents, special tax incentives, lax enforcement of environmental and labor protection laws and other governmental supports. Palestinians employed in these industrial zones work under severe restrictions of movement or organization, and with hardly no governmental protections, this many times results in exploitative employment practices and labor rights violations.

The origin of exported settlement products is often intentionally obscured. Companies hold marketing addresses within Israel, or market their products under a label which mixes their products with products from within Israel.
Abadi Bakery ("Mizrahiot" Cookies)Ability Computer and Software IndustriesAdanim TeaAdumim Food AdditivesAfic Printing ProductsAgrexco Agricultural Export CompanyAhava Dead Sea LaboratoriesAhdut Factory for Tehina Halva and Sweets Aluminum Construction C.L. IsraelAmnon and Tamar (Pyramid Herbal Seasonings)Arava Export GrowersAridan Printing ProductionsArza Wine Cellars T.R.Z.Assa AbloyAvgol Nonwoven IndustriesAyelet BarkanB. Gaon HoldingsB.R.B. Industries, BarBur LaundryBar Mazon ProduceBarkan WineriesBeigel and BeigelBetter and DifferentCaesarea CarpetsCalifornia Shayish and CarpentersCarmel CarpetsCarmel Holdings (E.L.) (formerly Beitili)Carmel WineriesChic Design Ltd. G&o HarelCitybook ServicesD.N.M Technical Equipment and ToolsEden SpringsEl Ez Emilia Development (O.F.G.)Enter Net Computers and EquipmentEwyg Advanced TechnologyExtalField ProduceFormula SystemsFrutarom IndustriesFun Bak Furniture Designing DoronGolan Heights WineryGolden Ryd Dyl Greenkote (Summet Hitech Coatings)H. Wagshal (H. Vagshal)Ha'alonim Marble 2000 (Haalonim)Hacormim VineyardHadiklaim - Israel Date Growers� CooperativeHamashbir HoldingsHanson Israel (formerly: Pioneer Concrete Israel)HeidelbergCementHousing and Construction Holding Co.Idan CampingImagestore SystemsIsraphot IndustriesJordan Plains Development CorporationKoralek Almog Sifting Machines and Production Systems Lithotech MedicalMalam TeamMapal Plastic ProductsMatrix ITMenachem WagshalMeytag High Tech VenturesMofet B'Yehuda Mortan Marketing and TradeMul-T-Lock (formerly Rav Bariach)Neetuv Management and Development Co. Oppenheimer Manufacturing and MarketingPalphotPereg United Industries, Otzma Pereg Plasto Polish (Barkan)Plustic SolutionsReadymix IndustriesRenaissan RonoPolidan Packaging Rosentoys, Buba-Li IndustriesRoyalife (formerly: Royalnight)Shamir SaladsShamrock HoldingShomron Barkalit TiresSi KirsumSoda ClubSpiral GlassSpray Metal CoatingsSpyro PlasticsSupergum IndustriesT.A.C. Accessory Corporation IsraelTayar DoorsTeltone ElectronicsTempo Beer IndustriesTescom Software Systems TestingThe ArchivistsThe Trendlines GroupTip Top Toys StarTnuvaTopTrans Translation ServicesTzarfati Metals IndustriesUnileverVillar International Zriha Hlavin Industries
Israeli Construction on Occupied Land In the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, Israeli housing and infrastructure projects effectively serve two goals: annexing more land and resources to Israel, and cutting off the local residents from the same.

In the West Bank, the jurisdiction area of the settlements takes up approximately 40% of the area while the built-up area covers only 3%. The construction of an Israeli road system, the use of which is forbidden for Palestinian residents, supports the creation of a separate Jewish-Israeli space on top of the fragmented Palestinian space. The roads and the settlements thus become part of the separation system, which also includes fences, walls, gates and checkpoints.

The Israeli construction industry in the West Bank and the Golan Heights includes real estate dealers and realtors, contractors, planners, and suppliers of materials, security and maintenance services to the construction sites.
Ackerstein IndustriesAfrica IsraelAlstomAshtrom GroupBank LeumiBinyanei Bar Amana Construction and Development Cape GateCaterpillarCement Roadstone Holdings (CRH)E.D.I.G Construction ManagementHousing and Construction Holding Co.Industrial Buildings Corporation - Mivney TaasiyaIsrael Discount BankLeader - Management and Development (formerly: Leader Company)LiebherrN.R.S Consulting and EngineeringNesher Israel Cement EnterprisesNew Way TrafficPeled - Klein Civil EngineeringReadymix IndustriesVeolia EnvironnementYehuda Welded Mesh
Services to the Settlements This section of the database includes companies that provide services to the settlements, with an emphasis on discriminatory services that are provided solely to the Jewish settlements and not to their surrounding Palestinian neighbors, services that help connect the settlements to Israel and normalize their status, and security services dedicated to keeping Palestinians out of the settlements.
Ace HardwareAlon GroupAlstomAmisragasAnglo Saxon IsraelAshtrom GroupB. Gaon HoldingsBank HapoalimBank LeumiBlockbusterBO TechnologiesCommaxDan Public Transportation Co.Dexia Israel (formerly: Local Municipality Treasure Bank)Dor AlonE.P.R. SystemsEgged Israel Transport Cooperative Society First International Bank of IsraelForum Film (Israel Theaters Group)Hadiklaim - Israel Date Growers� CooperativeIndustrial Buildings Corporation - Mivney TaasiyaIsrael Discount BankJordan Plains Development CorporationKalRam YacobowitzMarom Technologies Matimli mlMeytag High Tech VenturesMIRS CommunicationsMizrahi Tefahot Bank Modi'in EzrachiMofet B'Yehuda Motorola IsraelN.R.S Consulting and EngineeringPaz Oil PazGasPeled - Klein Civil EngineeringPizza HutRal Electric Holdings (formarly: Adir Electric Boards)Rami Levi - Hashikma MarketingRE/MAXSuper Pharm (Israel)Teva NaotThe Trendlines GroupTzarfati Car ServicesVeolia Environnement


Economic exploitation.

Since the occupation of the Palestinian territories in 1967, Israel has used its military rule to the advantage of Israeli corporations and economic interests, many times to the detriment of the Palestinian economy under its control. All Palestinian imports and exports have been controlled, restricting the competition with Israeli producers, and making the Palestinian consumer market into a captive market for Israeli goods. Regulatory and effective restrictions were imposed on the development of businesses that could compete with Israeli industries, and all basic and utility services were routed through Israeli firms. The Paris accords' customs union continued the same decades-long policy imposed on the Palestinians.

Severe restrictions on movement of Palestinian labor and products inside the occupied territories and to neighboring areas have further increased the dependency of the Palestinian economy on Israeli companies as employers and retailers. The growing network of checkpoints and walls has all but destroyed Palestinian local production and the Palestinian labor bargaining power.

Israeli companies have a relative high concentration of capital, freedom of movement and favorable legal conditions. When operating in the occupied territories they also enjoy special governmental support, access to cheap resources, tax incentives, and a very lax enforcement of labor laws and environmental protection laws. These advantages often result in the exploitation of Palestinian labor, Palestinian natural resources and the Palestinian consumer market.

The Economic Exploitation section of the database is, in a way, the most important part of our mapping of occupation-related profits. However, this is also the section which is hardest to map. Almost all Israeli companies involved with the Palestinian economy gain direct or indirect advantages from the actions of the Israeli authorities or from the special conditions of the occupation, and thus exploit the Palestinian economy. Therefore, the companies that we list below serve only as examples of the different types of structural advantages of Israeli companies in the framework of the Israeli occupation.
Involvement Categories Exploitation of Palestinian LaborExploitation of Palestinian Production and ResourcesPalestinian Captive Market
Exploitation of Palestinian Labor Israeli employers of Palestinian workers in the West Bank directly benefit from employing people under conditions of occupation. Restrictions on Palestinian movement limit the workers' employment choices, and the workers' dependency on security permits makes organizing almost impossible. Palestinian workers have no effective legal redress, and labor laws are not enforced.

Kav Laoved has documented reports of companies in the Israeli industrial zones that have paid sub-standard wages, forced Palestinians to work overtime for no pay, employed workers in hazardous conditions or denied them of adequate social benefits.

Of course, not all the Israeli employers of Palestinians workers would abuse the situation as severely, but all of them benefit from it nonetheless. Since Palestinian workers are effectively prevented from changing employers, organizing or suing for their rights, we would consider all such cases as cases of exploitative employment.
Exploitation of Palestinian Production and Resources This category includes companies that pay below market prices for Palestinian products because Palestinian producers are restricted to selling to companies that can cross Israeli checkpoints or borders.

It also includes companies that use or exploit Palestinian natural and environmental resources under the protection of the occupation.

With present conditions, almost all Israeli companies buying Palestinian products or using Palestinian natural resources would fall under this definition.
Ahava Dead Sea LaboratoriesB. Gaon HoldingsEden SpringsHanson Israel (formerly: Pioneer Concrete Israel)HeidelbergCementVeolia Environnement
Palestinian Captive Market This category includes companies providing services or goods to Palestinians at high costs, exploiting the restrictions on movement imposed on the Palestinians who cannot purchase these goods and services at a competitive price locally or abroad. Most Israeli retailers in the occupied territories would fall under this category.

This category also includes companies using their ties to the Israeli authorities to gain commercial advantages over Palestinian companies, and companies that collect Palestinian debts using their ties to the Israeli government (for example, Palestinian import and sales tax moneys collected by Israel, were illegally retained and then used to pay various debts to Israeli companies such as the Israeli electricity company).
Africa IsraelAlon GroupDor AlonMIRS CommunicationsPaz Oil



Control of population.

Three and a half million Palestinians in the occupied territories live under a severe military regime since 1967, devoid of basic civil liberties and subject to arbitrary repressive violence by the Israeli security forces.

In the West Bank, over two million Palestinians are divided into dozens of fragmented enclaves; eleven of them are the major, crowded population centers that make up Area A. The enclaves are separated and surrounded by a system of roadblocks, fences, walls and barriers, terminals, checkpoints, as well as Israeli settlements and roads designated for the exclusive use of Israelis. Palestinian movement between roadblocks and separate enclaves is controlled by an elaborate system of permits. Permits are allocated by the Israeli authorities according to secret security and economic considerations. Hundreds of thousands are blacklisted and cannot pass any checkpoints – including for travel inside their own enclave – to the next town or to the surrounding area.

Vast areas of the West Bank are either closed off to Palestinian movement altogether or require extremely rare permits: the Israeli-only roads, the Israeli settlements' jurisdiction areas, the “seam-line expanse” between the Apartheid Wall and the Green Line, the Jordan Valley, areas annexed to Jerusalem and Jerusalem itself. The arbitrary movement restrictions separate families, severely limit the Palestinians' access to health care, education and employment, and hinder the economic and geographic viability of Palestinian independence.

In the Gaza Strip, a million and a half people live in extremely crowded conditions, completely surrounded by fences and walls, constantly controlled by Israeli military forces from air, land and sea. Movement of people, goods and services in or out of Gaza is almost completely blocked; on-going military attacks cause mounting destruction and casualties; the trade, utilities and financial embargo of the Hamas regime has added to the economic collapse and the resulting humanitarian crisis.

In the Palestinian occupied territories, Israeli military presence is not restricted to any one area, and Palestinian towns and homes are raided by the Israeli military forces looking to intimidate, arrest or assassinate Palestinian activists and militants. Military regulations do not permit freedom of speech, organizing or protest by Palestinian civilian residents, and Israeli military courts sentence Palestinian civilians to long prison terms. All resistance is met with military violence, including the routine and officially-sanctioned use of live fire on non-violent demonstrators. Collective punishments in the form of house demolitions, curfews, closures and mass arrests are common. Presently, about 10,000 Palestinian residents of the occupied territories are held in Israeli military and civilian prisons as political prisoners. Hundreds are held under “administrative detention”, i.e., without having been charged, tried or sentenced.
Involvement Categories Private Security in the OccupationThe Wall and CheckpointsSpecialized Equipment and Services
Private Security in the Occupation One of the fastest growing industries in Israel is that of private security. In recent years, many military responsibilities were handed over to civilian companies. Private security firms guard settlements and construction sites in the occupied territories; some are also in charge of the day-to-day operation, security and maintenance of some of the checkpoints.
K-9 SolutionsModi'in EzrachiNetz 2 Bitachon
The Wall and Checkpoints This section of the database includes all companies involved in the planning, construction, operation and maintenance of the intricate mechanisms of physical separations and restrictions of movement. This includes businesses ranging from contractors that build the ditches, civil engineering firms that supply ready-made watch towers or raise razor wire fences, to suppliers of biometric identification systems and high-end surveillance technologies.
Ackerstein IndustriesAfcon Industries GroupAS&E American Science and EngineeringAshtrom GroupCape GateCaterpillarCEIA Costruzioni Elettroniche Industriali AutomatismiCement Roadstone Holdings (CRH)Chemonics InternationalChevroletComodan Far EastControp Precision TechnologiesDataCard Group (Credentia)DefenSoftE.D.I.G Construction ManagementEl Go TeamElbit SystemsElectronic Data Systems (EDS)Eltal Technologistics Garrett Metal DetectorsGroup4securicor (G4S)Haosef ServicesHashmiraHewlett Packard (HP)Housing and Construction Holding Co.K-9 SolutionsKalRam YacobowitzL-1 Identity Solutions (Visionics)L-3 CommunicationsLiebherrMagal Security SystemsMalam TeamManitouMer GroupModi'in EzrachiNesher Israel Cement EnterprisesNew Way TrafficNuctechOberthur TechnologiesOrad GroupOTI On Track InnovationsPereg United Industries, Otzma Pereg PolimilRal Electric Holdings (formarly: Adir Electric Boards)Rapiscan SystemsRecognition Systems (RSI), Ingersoll RandShaham Arica and SonsShamrock HoldingYehuda Welded Mesh
Specialized Equipment and Services At this stage in our project, we have decided not to investigate the arms trade and supply of weapons to the Israeli army. We will focus our attention instead on civilian firms that supply the Israeli army with equipment and services specific to the needs of the military occupation. This will include, for example the specially armored D9 bulldozers supplied by Caterpillar, specially designed simulators and software, specialized anti-demonstration equipment, and services to soldiers stationed in the occupied territories.
Aeronautics Defense SystemsAS&E American Science and EngineeringBlueBird Aero SystemsBO TechnologiesCaterpillarCEIA Costruzioni Elettroniche Industriali AutomatismiChemonics InternationalChevroletComodan Far EastControp Precision TechnologiesDataCard Group (Credentia)DefenSoftEl Go TeamElbit SystemsElectronic Data Systems (EDS)Eltal Technologistics Garrett Metal DetectorsGroup4securicor (G4S)HashmiraHewlett Packard (HP)KalRam YacobowitzL-1 Identity Solutions (Visionics)L-3 CommunicationsMagal Security SystemsMalam TeamMatrix ITMer GroupMIRS CommunicationsMotorola IsraelNuctechOberthur TechnologiesOrad GroupOTI On Track InnovationsPolimilRapiscan SystemsRecognition Systems (RSI), Ingersoll RandTiltan Systems Engineering

[Peter Lemkin]

Don't forget all the US arms, aircraft and other high-tech equiptment that keep the IDF so well stocked and restocked and restocked - even USG subsidized.