The United Nations headquarters in New York City. Image by flickr

(JTA) — The Trump administration has called on the United Nations not to publish a database of companies that do business in Israeli settlements.

The database, which the administration calls a “blacklist,” was approved by the U.N. Human Rights Council in March 2016 and includes American companies such as Caterpillar, TripAdvisor, Priceline.com and Airbnb. The list is supposed to be updated annually.

The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Raad Al Hussein, told U.S. officials that he plans to publish the list by the end of the year and has asked for comments by Sept. 1 from countries where listed companies are headquartered, The Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing unnamed diplomats.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The sources told the newspaper that Zeid, who previously served as Jordan’s ambassador to the United States, plans to move ahead with publishing the list, calling it a resource for consumers and travelers. Publication of the list has already been postponed once at the request of the United States, according to the Post.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, in a statement called the list “an expression of modern anti-Semitism.”

The Human Rights Council has no power to sanction any of the companies on the list, but other U.N. committees could use the list to do so.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount