The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates warned Israeli and international companies against investing in the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories saying such investment will be in violation of international law.

It said in a statement published today that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism has decided to subsidize Israeli investors who want to set up tourism projects and hotels in the occupied West Bank up to 20% of the value of their investments
The Ministry condemned what it referred to as Israel’s “colonial and settlement infiltration in all its forms,” considering it “null, void and illegal that cannot be whitewashed or legitimized under any pretext, and must be combated and confronted by all available legal means.”

It warned countries, companies and investors against involvement in the Israeli plans in the occupied territories under the cover of tourism since that will be considered a violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions, stressing that it will pursue any such investment in home courts or at specialized international courts.

The Ministry said these plans intend to gradually eat away at the occupied Palestinian territory, in particular the area classified as “C”, under various pretexts, including security, military, economic, settlement and tourism, which demands from the international community to take urgent action to salvage whatever opportunity is left to achieve peace based on the two-state solution.

It called on the High Commissioner for Human Rights to quickly publish the list of companies and institutions operating in the settlements as a deterrent to them and anyone who may think later to join this illegal settlement activity.

It also called upon the Human Rights Council to intervene quickly in this regard and expedite the publication of the first list of these companies and institutions and to start  preparing the second list of these companies violating international law.