Israels

accession to OECD: encouraging impunity, rewarding war crimes

1. OECDs fundamental values include respect for human rights, commitment to democracy and adherence
to the purposes of the United Nation1.
2. In the Road Map for the accession of Israel to the OECD Convention the Council noted that in order for
Israel to accede to the OECD it must demonstrate its commitment to fundamental values shared by all
OECD members and meet related benchmarks2.
3. Israel is not in compliance with OECD standards and benchmarks.
4. Israel exerts its sovereignty and effective control over four million Palestinians living under an
occupation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Under the Geneva Conventions Israel is fully responsible
for the economic wellbeing of Palestinians. Israel is also responsible for at least three million Palestinian
refugees living in exile outside Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, whom it has expelled and
made stateless in violation of international law. Israels denial of durable solutions and reparations keeps
millions of Palestinian refugees in a legal limbo (statelessness), undermining their economic wellbeing
for decades.
5. Israeli economist Shir Hever said: The OECD is treating Israel as though it has seven million citizens
when, in reality, it has 11 million subjects, of whom four million are Palestinians living under occupation.
If they were included in the figures submitted to the OECD, Israel would have to be refused accession
because of the enormous disparities in wealth.3
6. Israel is not in compliance with its obligations under international law.
7. Israel has yet to comply with the recommendations of the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict
and investigate and prosecute where needed those responsible for war crimes and crimes against
humanity.
8. Israel has yet to lift its illegal blockade of the occupied Gaza Strip which has brought to the brink of
starvation almost 1.5 million Palestinians.
9. Israel has yet to dismantle its illegal Wall in the occupied Palestinian West Bank in accordance with the
2004 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion.
10. The High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention have the legal responsibility to ensure
Israels compliance with the Convention. The UN General Assembly Resolution endorsing the 2004
International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on the Wall affirms that member states should not render
aid and assistance to the unlawful situation created by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories.
11. In its assessment of the Israeli social and economic situation, the OECD said that Israeli politics are
defined by policy agendas rooted in ethnicity and religion. 4 Israel has over 30 laws that privilege Jews
over non-Jews thus It cannot be considered a pluralist democracy, a key requirement for membership.
OECD did not condition Israels accession on the annulment of these racist laws, therefore legitimizing
them. As a result, half of Israels Arab citizens are living below the poverty line, a rate three times higher
than among Israeli Jews, and that on average Arab citizens earn salaries that are one-third less than Jews.
12. OECD members should be committed to free market principles. The economy of the Occupied
Palestinian Territories is part and parcel of the Israeli economy. A recent World Bank report states that
restrictions on the movement of goods have crippled [Palestinian] private sector activity5. Israel
maintains over 500 checkpoints that restrict freedom of movement of Palestinians. Israel has blocked the

Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (1960)
Road Map for the accession of Israel to the OECD Convention (2007)
3 Is Europe Planning Seal of Approval for Israeli Settlers? http://www.jkcook.net/Articles3/0457.htm
4 OECD, 2010a, OECD Economic Surveys: Israel, Volume 2009/21-January 2010, Supplement No. 3, OECD Publishing
5 World Bank (2010) Checkpoints and Barriers: Searching for Livelihood in the West Bank and Gaza.
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC)- a wide coalitions of the largest Palestinian mass organizations, trade unions, networks
and organizations.
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2

implementation of the EFTA-PLO agreement on the promotion of trade. Palestinians in Gaza cannot
export their produce due to the Israeli imposed siege. Israel is an obstacle to free market and uses its
economic hegemony to punish Palestinians.
13. Israel has breached one of the organizations key requirements on providing accurate and transparent
data on its economic activity. Data submitted by Israel to the OECD include illegal Israeli settlements in
the West Bank. By including the settlements, the OECD will be giving it a seal of approval. By excluding
the settlements, the OECD will be ignoring the reality of occupation. Either way, the OECD treats as non-
existent the millions of Palestinians under Israeli sovereignty.
14. Israel does not abide by the core principles of environmental policy demanded for Israels accession. The
policy reforms implemented by Israel do not apply to all territories under Israels sovereignty, namely
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel dumps waste and pollutants into the land and sea of Gaza and
the West Bank; contaminating Gazas drinking water and reducing the territory to the point where
Amnesty International has declared 95% of its drinking water unfit for human consumption; destroying
acre after acre of arable farm land to build the illegal separation wall and illegal settlements; and setting
ablaze and uprooting olive groves and other orchards.
15. OECD maintains stringent rules for member countries in regards to chemical management and safety.
Israel violates the spirit of these rules by maintaining a large stockpile of nuclear, chemical and biological
weapons. These are not independently supervised or regulated and are recklessly used against
Palestinians e.g. depleted uranium, white phosphorous.
16. While Israel approved legislation making bribery of foreign officials illegal, Israels Defense Ministry has
the power to censor the results of any investigation of bribes paid by Israeli companies to foreign
officials on the ground that the publicity could harm Israels national interests. The censor can bar
publication and is under no obligation to tell the authorities about the investigations. Bribery mainly
takes place in Israels multi-million dollar defense industry. Israel ranks 32nd on Transparency
Internationals Corruption Perception Index
17. Considering the above, rewarding Israel with OECD membership will be seen by people of conscience
around the world as a decisive and far-reaching act of complicity in rewarding and perpetuating Israels
occupation, colonization and apartheid against the Palestinian people. Furthermore, it will irreparably
undermine the rule of law and further entrench the culture of impunity that has enabled Israel to
escalate its commission of war crimes and what is described by some leading international law experts
as a prelude to genocide against Palestinians in the illegally besieged and occupied Gaza Strip.

Recommendations:
1. Add to the agenda of the upcoming council meeting discussion about the suitability and desirability
of Israels membership to OECD, namely the extent to which it represents key values of the
organization (international law, human rights, democracy, rule of law and open markets)
2. Condition Israels membership on the fulfillment of its obligations towards Palestinians under
international law
3. Reconsider economic data submitted by Israel to reflect the full picture of Israels economy, including
economic figures for non-citizen Palestinians under Israels sovereignty. This will uncover massive
discrepancies in income and standards of living that disqualifies Israel from membership
4. Overall recommendation: delay Israels accession until it abides by international law and respects
human rights, allows for Palestinian self-determination, ends discrimination against its non-Jewish
citizens, provides durable solutions and reparations to Palestinian refugees and allows for
unhindered economic development of Palestinians

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC)- a wide coalitions of the largest Palestinian mass organizations, trade unions, networks
and organizations.