The municipality of the Danish capital, Copenhagen, decided to withdraw investments from companies linked to Israeli settlements on the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to the Danish Ritsau News Agency, the draft decision to cut investments related to companies was presented in the Copenhagen Municipality’s Department of Finance.
After the decision, it is expected that the municipality will cut investments from companies including Airbnb, Expedia, and Booking Holding.
It is worth noting that these companies are listed on the list of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of companies linked to settlements on Palestinian lands.
A few days ago, Copenhagen Mayor Sophie Andersen said, “As a major investor, we have a responsibility to ensure human rights. Therefore, I do not think we should invest in companies that are related to illegal settlements,” and explained that the matter is related to making responsible and fair investments.
The city of Copenhagen’s investments in companies that invest in Israel amount to about 7 million kroner (the local Danish currency), equivalent to approximately one million euros.
Although the amount is limited and does not have a significant impact on the municipality’s investment portfolio, the Mayor of Copenhagen believes that the importance of the act and its symbolism will be strong in itself to convey the message, as she said: “We must form a list of companies that the city should not invest in.”
It is noteworthy that Denmark witnessed continuous protests in rejection of the continuation of the Israeli war on Gaza, and the movement extended to universities, where students called for severing financial and institutional relations with Israel.
Earlier, the University of Copenhagen announced that it would stop investing in companies that have commercial activities in West Bank settlements.
There are 451,000 settlers in 132 settlements and 147 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, in addition to 230,000 in the occupied city of Jerusalem, according to the left-wing Israeli Peace Now movement.
The United Nations considers settlement in the occupied territories illegal, has been calling in vain for years to stop it, and warns that it undermines the chances of addressing the conflict on the basis of a two-state solution.