While the UN General Assembly is currently being held in New York, marked by a summit focused on humanitarian crises and tensions in the Middle East, the Spanish government of Pedro Sánchez is displayed as one of the actors most committed to the Palestinian cause. In this context, the international community seems to be more and more critical with regard to Israeli actions in the West Bank, with increased recognition of the Palestinian State by several countries in recent days including France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Canada, Belgium and Australia. It is in this tense diplomatic climate that the UN has published a list of companies operating in Israeli colonies considered illegal, of which ACS is a part, the group led by Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid, according to El Pais. This publication relaunches the debate on the role of economic actors in the occupied territories and on their responsibility for human rights.
Inclusion on the list of 158 companies, including 138 Israeli and four Spanish, does not constitute a legal conviction, but an alert signal encouraging the companies concerned to assess the risks of complicity in human rights violations. Among the Spanish companies are ACS, the Ineco engineering company dependent on the Ministry of Transport, the Basque rail manufacturer CAF, as well as semi, formerly owned by ACS. The UN indicated that these companies participated in transport projects, in particular in the Jerusalem tram network, connecting the city to Israeli colonies in occupied territory, and that their covered activities extend from August 2, 2019 to April 30, 2025. For its part, Ineco highlights the fact that its presence in Israel dates back to 2005 and insists that certain works, as the tunnel of 2.5 kilometers of the Blue Line line, are located on an internationally recognized territory and not in occupied territory. The company specifies that it has not accepted new orders since 2023, in a context marked by the escalation of violence in October 2023 in Gaza.
Perez's reaction
These statements are made very seriously in Spain. After El PaisIneco continues only to complete the current projects, while scrupulously respecting existing contractual agreements, and examines legal solutions to anticipate possible Israeli sanctions in the event of early termination. For its part, ACS, via Florentino Pérez, firmly disputes any involvement in the colonies and denounces the use of its resources by the UN as being unjustified: “We will demand to be immediately removed from this list”relay the Spanish newspaper. CAF also claims to have evaluated the Jerusalem tram project without identifying human rights violation, highlighting the positive benefits for the local population and collaboration with Israeli partners for a contract of 1.8 billion euros. These companies thus underline that their activities focus on compliance with contractual standards and international standards, while rejecting any accusation of complicity in human rights violations.
The list published by the UN also includes foreign companies from various sectors such as reservation platforms such as Expedia, Airbnb or Booking, American companies such as Motorola, British construction companies, and French engineering EGIS, details El Pais. Most of the companies identified operate in infrastructure, real estate or mining. Although registration on the list does not trigger any legal sanction, it invites companies to take measures to limit the negative impact of their activities on human rights. Since 2020, and in accordance with the resolutions of the Human Rights Council, the High Commission for Human Rights continues to constitute and update this database, in order to document the impact of companies on the Palestinian people in all occupied territories, including Jerusalem-Est. For Real Madrid, this mention has no immediate consequences, but in Spain, the effect is resounding: the name of Florentino Pérez, an emblematic figure of sport and business, is found under the spotlight in a context where the Spanish government displays a marked support for the Palestinian cause.
