Key Takeaways
- An Al Jazeera investigation found that 17 companies tied to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank hold UK public‑sector contracts worth over £2.1 billion ($2.85 bn).
- Motorola Solutions accounts for the lion’s share—approximately £1.7 bn—through its subsidiary Airwave Solutions, which supplies the UK’s emergency‑services communications network.
- Other implicated corporate groups include Heidelberg Materials (quarrying), Egis (transport infrastructure), CAF (Jerusalem light‑rail), and Fosun (owner of Ahava cosmetics).
- The United Nations has listed these firms for activities that support settlement expansion, resource extraction, or security services in occupied Palestinian territory.
- The International Court of Justice ruled in July 2024 that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and that other states must not aid or assist that situation.
- More than 140 UK Labour MPs are urging the government to ban trade with illegal settlements; the Cabinet Office maintains that public authorities decide on exclusions case‑by‑case unless formal UK sanctions exist.
- Critics argue that the UK’s ongoing contracts risk breaching international obligations and effectively “propping up apartheid,” while the government warns businesses of legal and reputational consequences for engaging in settlement‑related tenders.
Overview of the Investigation
Al Jazeera’s analysis combined UK procurement records, company filings, and corporate disclosures to identify businesses linked to illegal Israeli settlements that have secured public‑sector contracts. The study focused on firms named by the United Nations Human Rights Office for involvement in settlement‑related activities, as well as any subsidiaries they ultimately control. By mapping these entities onto Tussell’s public‑procurement database, the investigation revealed a network of 125 contracts spanning sectors such as road maintenance, emergency communications, transport enforcement, and medical equipment, with a combined award value of £2.129 billion ($2.89 bn).
Scale of Motorola Solutions’ Involvement
Motorola Solutions emerges by far the largest beneficiary, with its UK‑based subsidiaries holding contracts totalling £1.726 billion ($2.3 bn). The flagship agreement is a Home Office extension awarded to Airwave Solutions, a Motorola subsidiary, valued at £1.562 billion ($2.13 bn) to maintain the secure communications network used by police, fire, and ambulance services across England, Scotland, and Wales. Additional Motorola UK contracts include a £36.5 million Ministry of Defence deal for Airwave radios and accessories, as well as smaller agreements with CRFS Ltd, 3TC Software Ltd, and Noggin IT Ltd. Altogether, five Motorola‑controlled entities manage 91 active UK public‑sector contracts.
UN Designation and Evidence of Settlement Ties
The United Nations first listed Motorola Solutions and its Israeli subsidiary in 2020 for two settlement‑related activities: supplying security services, equipment, and materials to enterprises operating in settlements, and providing services and utilities that support the maintenance and existence of settlements, including transport. Official tender documents from the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council and the municipal corporation of Ariel show Motorola command‑and‑control technology used in settlement security and surveillance infrastructure. Furthermore, an Israeli government procurement record from May 2026 awarded Motorola Solutions Israel a 25.5‑million‑shekel ($8.7 m) contract to maintain roughly 19,000 police radios and provide encryption licences until April 2028, underscoring an ongoing relationship with Israeli authorities.
Heidelberg Materials and the Nahal Raba Quarry
Heidelberg Materials appears in the UN database for the commercial exploitation of natural resources in occupied Palestinian territory. Its Israeli subsidiary, Hanson Israel, owns the Nahal Raba quarry south of Qalqilya, situated on land belonging to the Palestinian villages of az‑Zawiya and Rafat. In the UK, five Heidelberg Materials companies hold 25 public‑sector contracts worth £184.79 million ($252 m), the bulk of which—£179.03 million ($244 m)—is held by Hanson Quarry Products Europe Ltd. Notable contracts include a £60 million road‑surfacing agreement with Westmorland and Furness Council (2024‑2027) and a £50 million surfacing maintenance deal with Somerset Council. Heidelberg told Al Jazeera that Hanson Israel ceased all quarrying, asphalt, and ready‑mix concrete activities at Nahal Raba in 2023, retaining only security personnel on site, though a Civil Administration planning notice from May 2025 indicated an approved expansion of the quarry.
Egis’ Role in Jerusalem’s Light‑Rail Network
French engineering group Egis is linked by the UN to the provision of transport utilities that sustain settlement existence. In the UK, five Egis‑controlled entities hold six public‑sector contracts worth £133.60 million ($182.4 m), dominated by a £133.23 million Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency award to Egis Projects UK Ltd for enforcement services across Britain. Egis’s own promotional material highlights its continued involvement in Jerusalem’s expanding light‑rail network, advertising a Jerusalem‑based engineering expert position. The UN has described the light‑rail as “additional infrastructure serving the illegal settlement network,” noting that it links illegal Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem with West Jerusalem while further isolating Palestinian neighbourhoods. Egis stated it “formally expressed its disagreement” with its inclusion in the UN database.
CAF’s Participation in the Jerusalem Tram Project
Spanish train manufacturer CAF is implicated for supplying equipment and materials that facilitate settlement construction and expansion, as well as for using natural resources such as water and land for business purposes. CAF co‑owns TransJerusalem J‑Net Ltd, the firm awarded the €1.8 billion ($2.10 bn) Jerusalem light‑rail project in 2019, which includes building the Green Line and extending the existing Red Line through East Jerusalem, with construction slated to continue until 2027. In the UK, CAF’s public‑sector footprint includes an £83.5 million ($114 m) contract from the West Midlands Combined Authority for a new generation of trams for the West Midlands Metro, running until December 2027. CAF did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.
Fosun International and Ahava Cosmetics
The Chinese conglomerate Fosun International is flagged by the UN for the commercial use of natural resources, particularly water and land, via its ownership of Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories. Fosun acquired Ahava in April 2016 for 290 million shekels ($76.8 m) and now holds 99.46 percent of the company. Ahava operates a factory in the illegal Mitzpe Shalem settlement, where Dead Sea mud is excavated from occupied Palestinian territory, processed locally, and then shipped to Ein Gedi for final product formation. In the UK, Breas Medical—ultimately owned through Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical by Fosun International—holds two public‑sector contracts worth £1.29 million ($1.76 m). Fosun declined to comment on the findings.
International Legal Developments
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful and demanded that it end “as rapidly as possible.” The ICJ also imposed obligations on other states “not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence.” Legal scholars, such as Stephen Humphreys of the London School of Economics, argue that the UK’s ongoing contracts with firms identified by the UN may constitute a breach of these obligations, especially given the absence of a UK‑led investigation into the companies’ settlement‑related activities.
Political Reaction and Calls for Action
More than 140 UK Labour MPs have urged the government to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements, contending that the current economic links contradict Britain’s stated stance on international law. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told Al Jazeera that “the UK government is propping up apartheid,” warning that each contract deepens complicity in Israel’s “economy of occupation” and, by extension, its “economy of genocide.” The Cabinet Office responded that individual public authorities decide on supplier exclusions case‑by‑case, and that the UK will not use procurement to boycott foreign firms unless formal sanctions, embargoes, or restrictions are in place. The government has also issued warnings to businesses about legal and reputational risks when bidding for construction tenders in illegal settlements.
Implications and Conclusion
The Al Jazeera investigation underscores a significant mismatch between the UK’s public‑sector spending patterns and its international legal obligations concerning the occupied Palestinian territory. With over £2.1 bn of taxpayer‑funded contracts flowing to companies that the UN has linked to settlement‑building, resource extraction, and security infrastructure, the findings raise pressing questions about compliance with the ICJ ruling and broader humanitarian concerns. While the UK government maintains that procurement decisions remain decentralized and sanction‑driven, growing pressure from MPs, civil‑society groups, and legal experts suggests that a reassessment of these relationships may be necessary to avoid facilitating actions deemed unlawful under international law. Continued scrutiny and potential policy shifts could reshape how British public contracts intersect with the complex geopolitics of the Israeli‑Palestinian conflict.