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The UN "Blacklist" of Commercial Enterprises: Should It Be Taken Seriously?
(Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Amb. Alan Baker- The UN blacklist of commercial enterprises involved in business activities in the West Bank territories of Judea and Samaria emanates from the highly politicized and discredited UN Human Rights Council as an overtly and politically hostile attempt to harm such enterprises, and through them, to harm Israel. In publishing the blacklist, the UN Human Rights Council has undermined the authority of the UN Security Council, which is the only international body authorized to impose commercial sanctions on states. The blacklist is not legally binding on states or companies. Moreover, the blacklist runs against prevailing legal viewpoints that see nothing illegal in the involvement of private commercial enterprises in such territories. The writer served as legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.