Zone occupied by Israel
Dozens of companies maintain functions in occupied Palestinian territory – including Steconfer, a company of Santarém that rejects ties with the Israeli government.
More than 150 companies, including Airbnb, Booking and TripAdvisor, are operating in Israeli colonates in the West Bank considered illegal by the UN, reveals one released by the organization this Friday.
The list, which already existed, has now been updated, and has 68 new names, in a total of 158 companies (some, such as Spanish travel agency Edreams, were removed in the meantime). AND In the middle is a Portuguese.
It is about Steconfer – Technical Society of River Construction, a company founded 28 years ago in Santarém. According to, it has an annual revenue close to 25 million euros and has about 300 workers.
In a letter sent to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, quoted by Lusa, Steconfer stresses that “It does not engage in political or governmental decisionsAnd that “its role is strictly limited to the technical execution of works as subcontractors of large engineering, acquisition and construction contractors”.
The company therefore asked to be removed from the database, ensuring that “It has no direct contractual relationship with the Israeli government or any government authority of the region. ”
According to, all companies on the list were involved in or more of the ten activities that the Human Rights Office has signaled as a particular concern in human rights.
But Israel rejects the list. “This database intends to function as a Black list against companies that did not commit any irregularityas there is no general prohibition on international law against business activity in conflict zones, ”said the Israelite mission in Geneva in a statement.
CAROLINA BASTOS PEREIRA, ZAP //
