‘Shameless corporate profiteering’: Report finds Etsy operating in illegal Israeli settlements

Published jointly by three prominent organisations, a recent report has raised serious concerns over “shameless corporate profiteering” as it finds that e-commerce platform Etsy is conducting business through dozens of shops located in illegal Israeli settlements.

The report identified at least 44 Etsy stores operating in 16 different settlements considered illegal by the United Nations and international regulations as of July 2024. Some of these illegal settlements are frequent sites of conflict after expansion plans.

“Profiting from the human misery inflicted on Palestinians”

“Etsy is not simply turning a blind eye to stores listed on its site operating in illegal Israeli settlements, it is directly profiting from and even, in certain cases, promoting them,” said Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now (part of the report).

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“The reality is, they are not the only company profiting from the human misery inflicted on Palestinians day in, day out. It is time to bring an end to this shameless corporate profiteering,” he further said. In fact, there could be many more Etsy stores in illegal settlements.

There is a high chance of Etsy – operating in Israel through its subsidiary Etsy Ireland UC – facing questions and allegations of money laundering if proceeds from businesses in illegal Israeli settlements are found to be entering the Irish financial system.

Similar complaint filed in November 2023 involves booking.com

In response to the findings, e-commerce platform Etsy announced an internal review and highlighted that it seeks to abide by the applicable regulations, including relevant anti-money laundering and sanctions rules, as per media reports.

There had been a similar complaint filed in November 2023 involving booking.com. It is currently being investigated by Dutch authorities. The company denies the allegations and stresses that no rules prohibit listings in illegal Israeli settlements.