Maersk halts shipments to illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank

The Danish shipping giant Maersk has confirmed to The New Arab that it will suspend the transport of goods to and from illegal Israeli settlements, in a move hailed by activists who have long called for such action.

In a statement to TNA, a spokesperson clarified that the company's decision "addresses only shipments to/from settlements" and was "not about cutting ties with the companies on the OHCHR list in general but only related to transport to/from Israeli settlements."

This comes after the organisation posted an announcement on their website, stating: "Following a recent review of transports related to the West Bank, we further strengthened our screening procedures in relation to Israeli settlements, including aligning our screening process with the OHCHR database of enterprises involved in activities in the settlements".

The screening guidelines refer to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which published a database in 2020, updated in 2023, listing over 100 companies linked to violations of international law through their operations in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The announcement has been welcomed by campaigners, including the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), which has led months of advocacy against Maersk's operations.

In a statement on X, PYM called the announcement a "victory": "In a quiet notice on their website, Maersk has announced the suspension of shipments from companies in illegal Israeli settlements listed in the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (UN OHCHR) database."

"While we continue to demand Maersk be held accountable for their complicity in the genocide through their shipments of military cargo and their role in the F-35 supply chain, this victory shows that when people come together and organise to demand justice, we will always prevail," the statement added.

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement 

The official Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) movement has long denounced Maersk for being "involved in all aspects of the supply chain of death - bringing military cargo to arms companies for assembly and shipping cargo to Israel from the US, including throughout Israel’s genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in the illegally occupied Gaza Strip".

According to the international movement, over the last year, Maersk has shipped millions of pounds of military cargo to Israel from the US, which includes tactical vehicles and parts for armoured tanks, as well as aircraft and artillery systems intended for the Israeli ministry of defence.

The organisation notes that one supply chain is the "Oshkosh Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, with Maersk helping fulfil part of the supply chain related to a $159 million foreign military sale to Israel from the U.S. Department of Defence".

It adds that the company is an invisible profiteer of weapons manufacturing, enabling the "genocide of Palestinians" by facilitating exports from illegal Israeli settlements on behalf of businesses operating within them.