LONDON: A new report has revealed that American e-commerce platform Etsy is doing business with dozens of shops located in illegal Israeli settlements.
Published jointly by the Institute for Journalism and Social Change, Global Justice Now, and War on Want, the report identified at least 44 Etsy shops operating in 16 different settlements deemed illegal by the United Nations and international law as of July.
“Etsy is not just turning a blind eye to the stores listed on its site that operate in illegal Israeli settlements, it is directly profiting from them and, in some cases, even promoting them,” said Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now.
“Doing so risks complicity in war crimes, and the reality is that they are not the only companies that profit from the human misery inflicted on Palestinians day after day. It is time to put an end to this shameless corporate profiteering.”
Most of the identified shops are located in the West Bank, including 14 in Ariel and at least nine in Maale Adumim, two of the largest illegal settlements and frequent sites of conflict following expansion plans.
The report also noted that with hundreds of other sellers listed simply under “Israel” without specific locations, there may be many more Etsy shops operating from illegal settlements.
Claire Provost, the report’s author and co-founder and co-director of the Institute for Journalism and Social Change, explained that despite the “explicit connections” between hosts and locations, “so far, these connections have gone unnoticed and unquestioned.”
“Western complicity in Israeli war crimes is so widespread that even Etsy, the popular ‘feel-good’ shopping platform, is linked to settlement businesses,” Provost said.
Etsy, which operates in Israel through its subsidiary Etsy Ireland UC, could face questioning and money laundering charges if proceeds from illegal settlement activities are found to be entering the Irish financial system.
A similar complaint involving booking.com, filed in November 2023, is currently being investigated by authorities in the Netherlands.
The company said it disagreed with the allegations and stressed that “no law prohibits listings in illegal Israeli settlements.” However, the outcome of the investigation could set a precedent for dealings in Israeli settlements.
In response to these findings, Etsy announced an internal review and said it seeks to “comply with applicable laws, including anti-money laundering and sanctions laws.”
“By promoting commercial activity in Israel’s illegal settlements, Etsy is aiding and abetting the war crimes of both the forced displacement of the indigenous population and the displacement of civilians by occupying forces in the occupied territories,” said Neil Sammonds, senior campaigner at Palestine at War on Want.
“Etsy's complicity extends to the crime of apartheid. It must immediately cease these hateful and illegal activities.”
