Copenhagen Municipality to divest from companies linked to illegal Israeli settlements

By Ebad Ahmed

PRAGUE (AA) – The Copenhagen Municipality on Thursday decided to divest from commercial ventures linked to the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, reported Danish news agency Ritzau.

The finance section of the city government took the decision after a vote of 9 to 2 in favor of cutting the investments. The Social Democrats, Red-Green Alliance and Social Liberals voted in favor, with the Conservatives and Liberal Alliance voting against.

The Copenhagen Municipality will now sell investments in companies including Airbnb, Expedia Group and Booking.com owner Booking Holdings. The companies are included on a UN list of businesses with links to Israeli settlements on territories such as the West Bank.

Last week, Copenhagen Mayor Sophie Haestorp Andersen in a statement said: “As a large investor, we have a responsibility for things like human rights. That's why I don't think we should invest in companies that have to do with illegal settlements.”

Earlier, the University of Copenhagen in Denmark announced that it would be withdrawing investments from three companies that operate in occupied Palestinian territories in response to students’ demands in encampments at the main campus.

Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian activists have set up a number of tent camps in central Copenhagen since the first week of June, demanding the Danish government stop selling weapons to Israel.

The group behind the encampment at the City Hall Square area called the Palestine Square-Encampment for Arms Embargo said in a statement: “When the International Court of Justice states that there is probably a genocide in Gaza, the absolute minimum Denmark should do is to stop all arms trade with the state of Israel.”

The protesters said they would not leave the encampment until their demands were met by the government.