UNITED NATIONS: The UN Human Rights Commissioner decided to indefinitely postpone the publication of a “blacklist” of Israeli and international companies operating in the occupied territories, Israeli newspaper Arutz Sheva reported on Wednesday.

The campaign for shelving the report was led join­t­ly by the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon.

The postponement of publication of the list comes after heavy pressure exerted by the US and Israel on the Commissioner with the assistance of diplomats from other countries, the newspaper reported.

However, a document issued on Wednesday by the commissioner, Zeid bin Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein, mentioned that 206 Israeli and international companies operating in the country and the occupied Israeli territories or in contact with businesses operating in the area had been identified.

Danon harshly condem­ned the publication of the report on Wednesday by the UN Human Rights Council. The US has already cut off all funding of United Nat­i­ons relief work for the Pale­s­tinian refugees UNRWA.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2018