The divestment follows the UN publication in February 2020 of a list of 112 companies with activities related to Israeli settlements.

Norway’s largest pension fund has announced that it has divested the assets of 16 companies for their links to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including telecommunications equipment giant Motorola.

“According to KLP’s assessment, there is an unacceptable risk that excluded companies may contribute to the abuse of human rights in war and conflict situations through their links with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank,” KLP , which manages some $ 95 billion in assets, said in a statement Monday.

The companies, which cover telecommunications, banking, energy and construction, all help facilitate Israel’s presence and therefore risk being complicit in violations of international law and KLP’s ethical guidelines, he said. he declares.

Divesting Motorola Solutions is “a very straightforward decision regarding its oversight role in the occupied territories,” said KLP.

“Motorola and other companies risk being complicit in violations of international law in occupied Palestine,” KLP added, saying the company provides software used for border surveillance.

The divestment follows the publication by the UN in February 2020 of a list of 112 companies with activities related to Israeli settlements, considered illegal under international law.

The Israeli government denounced the publication of the list – which included companies like Airbnb, Expedia and Tripadvisor – as a “despicable effort”.

KLP also divested telecommunications operators offering services in the occupied West Bank, as they helped make “settlements in residential areas attractive”.

These included Altice Europe, Bezeq, Cellcom Israel and Partner Communications.

Also included are five banks that have facilitated or financed the construction of housing and infrastructure in the occupied territories, as well as engineering and construction groups, including the French multinational Alstom.

Ashtrom and Electra were responsible for building the infrastructure, while Paz Oil helped power them.

Last May, another Norwegian fund, the sovereign wealth fund – the world’s largest – also excluded several construction and real estate-related companies over their links to Israeli settlements.

At the end of June, KLP announced its sale of the Indian port and logistics group Adani Ports due to its links with the Burmese military government.

The occupation of the Palestinian territories is considered illegal by the UN.

More than 600,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.