Poetra.RH/Shutterstock.com

Implications of the Emerging Role of Israel and Associated Business Sectors for the ADB, including European Constituencies

In Arab Countries, International Advocacy Program

Dear ADB President Masato Kanda,

As representatives of civil society organizations we acknowledge that there is a long-standing history of engagement between civil society and ADB member constituencies as well as staff at the Bank’s headquarters in Manila, enabling frank discussions about ADB policy and project related concerns over the years. However, we have come to know that with Israel being accepted as the most recent member of the ADB, the country’s representation has been added to the Board of Directors constituency of Executive Director Furno, Alternative Executive Director Halbrecq and the European Representative Office (ERO), respectively. It is in this regard with which we wish to express a high degree of alarm and request your attention. We recognize our concerns touch on broader institutional matters, and as such are copying this letter to senior ADB management for further follow up.

With this change in the European representative constituency and the ADB’s institutional membership, we find ourselves compelled to express our deep indignation regarding the apparent institutional willingness to normalize engaging with a state that:

(i) has continued to illegally occupy1 Palestinian territory (East Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza) and the Syrian Golan Heights for over half a century, an occupation which has been declared illegal in its entirety and must be dismantled immediately by the International Court of Justice (ICJ),

(ii) is responsible for systematic violations of international humanitarian law and human rights against Palestinians2, including what is widely understood as a genocide in Gaza3 (identified as such by both Palestinian and international human rights organizations, and defined by the ICJ over a year and a half ago, in January 2024 as ‘plausible genocide’), including mass-forced starvation, systematic deprivation of water, denial of access to basic medical equipment and supplies and relentless bombing for nearly two years,

(iii) retains a head of state, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as former Minister of Defense, Mr. Yoav Gallant, under arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court – both of whom have been charged with being “responsible for the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare and of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts from at least 8 October 2023…”, and

(iv) actively exports surveillance and spyware technologies that are initially ‘field-tested’ on Palestinians in occupied Gaza and West Bank including East Jerusalem, and then exported for use by state authorities worldwide, including being weaponized against civil society groups abroad4.

Furthermore, as of 10th June 2025, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway have all placed sanctions on Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich (listed as a primary representative on ADB’s Board of Governors), and Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, and as a result they face travel bans and frozen assets, due to their leading and outspoken roles in “extremist violence” and human rights violations against Palestinians.

Other states that the ERO represents, including France, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, and more broadly across Europe, have all made recent statements demanding Israel stop relentlessly bombing Gaza, lift the siege and end its occupation of Palestine; additionally, notably constituencies the ERO represents (with the exception of Israel) have voted accordingly at the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council.

Meanwhile, many ADB regional member constituencies have affirmed and reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination. Specifically, regional constituencies including Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia as well as Pakistan5 have consistently advocated for an end to Israel’s violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Gaza and illegal occupation of Palestine. Some ADB member constituencies, including Malaysia, and more recently, Indonesia and Turkiye, have gone further towards asserting their position against the violence perpetrated against Palestinians as part of the Hague Group initiative, pledging for instance to “commence an urgent review of all public contracts, to prevent public institutions and funds from supporting Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territory and entrenching its unlawful presence” and bar all vessels carrying weapons and military equipment destined for Israel from docking, being serviced or transiting at their ports or territorial waters.

We are deeply shocked and concerned that – as the ERO has highlighted in its recent newsletter – a delegation of Israeli representatives were welcomed into ADB headquarters in March 2025 to “explore collaboration opportunities in various sectors, with a focus on agriculture, water management, digital transformation, and cyber security” – at the same time as  companies headquartered in Israel or collaborating with the Israeli state in the water6, digital7 and cyber-security8 sectors are directly involved in violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank.

Furthermore, international news outlets and human rights groups have documented in detail how Israeli forces are responsible for destroying once fertile agricultural fields and the food security of Palestinians, not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank.9 Notably, Israel’s intentions to pursue partnerships with the ADB in relation to digital tech and cyber security was reiterated in the statement made during the ADB Annual Meeting by the Israeli representative to the Board of Governors. We are also appalled that at a time of international outcry against Israel’s deliberate use of enforced starvation as a method of war in Gaza (i.e. considered a war crime, crime against humanity and an act of genocide), the ADB hosted a “Virtual Business Opportunities Seminar with Israel” in July 2025 to “introduce Israeli companies to the ADB procurement system,” and to “invite Israeli companies to participate at the Business Opportunities Fair in Manila”, scheduled in September at ADB Headquarters in Manila.

It is in this context that we remind you that in July 2024, the International Court of Justice unequivocally determined that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is illegal, which in turn was endorsed by the UN General Assembly in September 2024. Accordingly, there are specific legal responsibilities borne by both states and international organizations in this regard, including the following obligations:

  • not to recognize as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of Israel, and
  • not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by the continued presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Reports, including the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights’s (OHCHR) report, the OHCHR’s current database on businesses with connections to (illegal) Israeli settlement industries, and the most recent report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967, “From economy of occupation to economy of genocide”, provide guidance as to the range of private sector entities complicit in aiding, assisting, abetting and maintaining the continued illegal occupation of Palestine.

Based on the above information, in order for the ADB and member constituencies to avoid being complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity – which could lead to reputational damage and legal consequences for your institution and staff – we urge the ADB and ADB ERO to urgently and publicly:

  • Affirm full respect for the rulings of the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice in regards to recent jurisprudence surrounding Israeli state officials, the illegal occupation of Palestine and violence perpetrated in Gaza.
  • Explain its rationale for representing/retaining a member of the ADB Board of Governors now under formal sanctions and with a head of state who is under an international arrest warrant.
  • Clarify that companies involved in Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and crimes against humanity, including apartheid, war crimes, and genocide, are not legitimate clients and that there will be no engagement through financial or other means until such time as Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, genocidal acts in – and siege on – Gaza come to an end. At a minimum, this would require the ADB to formally add all relevant companies connected to Israel’s illegal settlements, as identified in the OHCHR database along with those identified in the UN Special Rapporteur’s report referenced above (“From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide”), to its list of debarred companies, thereby excluding them from the opportunity to receive contracts with the ADB.10
  • Provide clear assurances that Israeli private and public sector entities in the financial, climate, water, agriculture, forestry, energy, digital, and cyber-security sectors are not provided a platform for offering their services through any ADB endorsed events – whether or not they are held on ADB premises, online or offline, and,
  • Affirm respect for international law by ensuring that any engagement with Israeli public or private sector financial institutions will be on hold until such time as Israel ends its violations of International Humanitarian Law and abides by the rulings of the International Court of Justice, dismantling the illegal settlements and settlement outposts in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, ending the unlawful occupation of Palestine (including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem) and the Syrian Golan Heights, and complies with the provisional measures of the International Court of Justice (issued on 26 January, 28 March, and 24 May 2024), and the Geneva Conventions, including ending the ongoing military bombardment of  — and siege on — Gaza, and duly engages in meaningful, comprehensive accountability, redress and reparations processes to address past and ongoing rights violations committed against the Palestinian people.

We thank you for your attention and look forward to receiving a detailed response to each of the specific points outlined above.

A copy of this letter was sent via email to:

  • Michiko Suga, Representative, ADB European Representative Office (ERO);
  • Seung Min Lee, Deputy Representative, ADB European Representative Office (ERO);
  • Bertrand Furno, Executive Director; and
  • Ludivine Halbrecq, Alternate Executive Director (Belgium/France/Israel/Italy/Portugal/Spain/Switzerland).

A written copy was also sent to:

  • Bruce Gosper, Vice-President (Administration and Corporate Management);
  • Roberta Casali, Vice-President (Finance and Risk Management), ADB Board of Directors;
  • Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories occupied since 1967.

 

Sincerely,

  1. Accountability Counsel, Global
  2. Al-Haq, Palestine
  3. Alternative Law Collective, Pakistan
  4. Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy, Philippines
  5. Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders, Asia-Pacific
  6. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Asia
  7. Association for Promotion Sustainable Development, India
  8. Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication, Bangladesh
  9. Beyond Beijing Committee Nepal, Nepal
  10. Blind and Visually Impaired People of Solomon Islands, Solomon Islands
  11. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Middle East and North Africa
  12. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, Canada
  13. Centre for Citizens Conserving Environment & Management, Uganda
  14. Centre for the Sustainable Use of Natural and Social Resources, India
  15. Coalition des Volontaires pour la Paix et le Développement, Democratic Republic of Congo
  16. Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network, Nepal
  17. Conseil Regional des Organisations Non Gouvernementales de Développement en sigle, Democratic Republic of Congo
  18. Disability Peoples Forum Uganda, Uganda
  19. Economic and Social Rights Centre – Hakijamii, Kenya
  20. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Egypt
  21. Focus on the Global South, Asia
  22. FOCUS- Nepal, Nepal
  23. GAIA Asia Pacific, Asia-Pacific
  24. Gender Action, U.S.A.
  25. Growthwatch, India
  26. Housing and Land Rights Network – Habitat International Coalition, Egypt
  27. IBON International, Global
  28. Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation, Global
  29. Indigenous Peoples’ Organisation Australia, Australia
  30. Inisiasi Masyarakat Adat, Indonesia
  31. International Accountability Project, Global
  32. International Rivers, Global
  33. Jamaa Resource Initiatives, Kenya
  34. Jubilee Australia Research Centre, Australia
  35. JUHUDI Community Support Center, Kenya
  36. Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste, Canada
  37. Lumière Synergie pour le Développement, Senegal
  38. Koalisi Rakyat untuk Hak atas Air (KRuHA), Indonesia
  39. Manushya Foundation, Thailand
  40. MenaFem Movement for Economic Development and Ecological Justice, Morocco
  41. National Alliance of Agriculture Allied Workers Union, India
  42. NGO Forum on ADB, Asia
  43. Oyu Tolgoi Watch, Mongolia
  44. Palestine Solidarity Campaign – Thailand, Thailand
  45. Peace Point Development Foundation, Nigeria
  46. Phenix Center for Economic Studies, Jordan
  47. Prakash Mani Sharma Academy for Public Interest Law, Nepal
  48. Psychological Responsiveness NGO, Mongolia
  49. RDN Nepal, Nepal
  50. Reality of Aid-Asia Pacific, Asia-Pacific
  51. Recourse, Netherlands
  52. Rivers without Boundaries, Mongolia
  53. Sojhla for Social Change, Pakistan
  54. Syrian Legal Development Programme, United Kingdom / Syria
  55. Terranusa Indonesia, Indonesia
  56. The Bretton Woods Project, United Kingdom
  57. Trend Asia, Indonesia
  58. Uddipto Mohila Unnayan Sangstha, Bangladesh
  59. Uganda Eyenkya Development Project Group, Uganda
  60. Universal Versatile Society, India
  61. Urgewald, Germany
  62. Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, Germany / Uzbekistan
  63. Vikas Adhyayan Kendra, India
  64. Youth for Green Communities, Uganda

 

_________________________________

Endnotes:

1. See for example, the ICJ Advisory Opinion: “Legal Consequences Arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem”. The statement of UN experts following last year’s ICJ ruling in September 2024. See also the following statement from several UN Special Rapporteurs, issued in September 2024: “UN experts warn international order on a knife’s edge, urge States to comply with ICJ Advisory Opinion”.

2. See for example, reports from the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, and Israel (March 2025, June 2025); reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967 (March 2024, October 2024 and June 2025). See also several press releases and statements published by UN Special Rapporteurs in recent months, e.g. “‘Tragedy foretold and stain on our collective humanity’: Special Rapporteur warns of mass ethnic cleansing in the West Bank” (March 2025), “Amid escalating horror, UN experts urge States to take concrete action to end impunity for Israel” (April 2025), “Occupied Palestinian territory: With every new day of impunity more innocent lives are lost, warn UN experts” (April 2025), “End unfolding genocide or watch it end life in Gaza: UN experts say States face defining choice” (May 2025), “‘Stop the clock on madness’: UN expert appeals to States after Gaza aid distribution shootings” (May 2025), “Assault on children’: UN experts condemn renewed attacks on UNRWA schools in Gaza and East Jerusalem”(May 2025), “UN experts call on Security Council to protect women and girls in Gaza and restore peace” (May 2025) and “UN experts call for immediate dismantling of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (August 2025).

3. Since October 2023, Palestinian human rights organizations were raising alarm of the genocidal nature of the Israeli Occupation Forces’ systematic attacks on residents in communities across Gaza, see for example some of the documentation over the months from Al-Haq (“Urgent international intervention is needed to protect Palestinians in northern Gaza” [Oct 2023],“As the death toll in Gaza exceeds 10,000 in a month, Palestinian organizations call for an immediate end to Israel’s genocidal warfare against Palestinians” [Nov 2023],, “The Plight of Palestinian Women Amid Ongoing Gaza Genocide” [Dec 2023], “Voices from Gaza: The Experiences of Palestinian Women Amid the Ongoing Genocide” (Mar 2024] “Urgent Alert: Israel Marks 200 Days of Genocide with Plans to Destroy Rafah” [April 2024], “How To Hide a Genocide” [Jan 2025], “Al-Haq and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) Urge Immediate International Action to Halt Ongoing Genocide”[Apr 2025], “Legal Brief I: : Special Intent (dolus specialis) Required to Classify Acts as Genocide”[May 2025], Legal Brief II: : Protected Groups under the Genocide Convention [Aug 2025]), as well as the articles, reports and statements posted since October 2023 on the websites of Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. See also, reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967 (March 2024, October 2024 and June 2025). See also the statements of the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, including “Four Facts about Israel’s Genocide” (May 2025), “We’re Glad to See You Use the G-Word, but Now You Must Act”(May 2025), “SOS Alert: Gaza (#8)” (May 2024) and “Israel is Committing Genocide Across Palestine: Active Genocide Alert Condemning Ongoing Violence in the West Bank” (April 2024).

4. Since October 2023, Palestinian human rights organizations were raising alarm of the genocidal nature of the Israeli Occupation Forces’ systematic attacks on residents in communities across Gaza, see for example some of the documentation over the months from Al-Haq (“Urgent international intervention is needed to protect Palestinians in northern Gaza” [Oct 2023],“As the death toll in Gaza exceeds 10,000 in a month, Palestinian organizations call for an immediate end to Israel’s genocidal warfare against Palestinians” [Nov 2023],, “The Plight of Palestinian Women Amid Ongoing Gaza Genocide” [Dec 2023], “Voices from Gaza: The Experiences of Palestinian Women Amid the Ongoing Genocide” (Mar 2024] “Urgent Alert: Israel Marks 200 Days of Genocide with Plans to Destroy Rafah” [April 2024], “How To Hide a Genocide” [Jan 2025], “Al-Haq and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) Urge Immediate International Action to Halt Ongoing Genocide”[Apr 2025], “Legal Brief I: : Special Intent (dolus specialis) Required to Classify Acts as Genocide”[May 2025], Legal Brief II: : Protected Groups under the Genocide Convention [Aug 2025]), as well as the articles, reports and statements posted since October 2023 on the websites of Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. See also, reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967 (March 2024, October 2024 and June 2025). See also the statements of the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, including “Four Facts about Israel’s Genocide” (May 2025), “We’re Glad to See You Use the G-Word, but Now You Must Act”(May 2025), “SOS Alert: Gaza (#8)” (May 2024) and “Israel is Committing Genocide Across Palestine: Active Genocide Alert Condemning Ongoing Violence in the West Bank” (April 2024).

5. We recognize and appreciate that not all constituencies agreed to Israel joining as a member of the ADB, see: “Malaysia objected to Israel joining Asian Development Bank, says govt source” (30 Sept 2024).

6. See for example: “Gaza’s Deepening Water Crisis Amid the Ongoing Genocide” (Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, April 2025) and “Water as Warfare: Israel’s Policy to Make Gaza Unlivable and Eradicate Palestinian Existence” (Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, March 2025). See also, Oxfam International’s briefing, “Water War Crimes: How Israel has weaponised water in its military campaign in Gaza” (July 2024).

7. See for example: “Palestinian Digital Rights, Genocide, Big Tech Big and Accountability” (7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, September 2024).

8. See for example, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre’s website profile: “Israel: Companies allegedly test surveillance technologies on Palestinian population prior to exporting products abroad”. See also: “Surveillance of Palestinians and the Fight for Digital Rights,” (Al-Shabaka – The Palestinian Policy Network, 2017) , Visualizing Palestine’s “Factsheet on the Israeli Cyber Industry” (August 2022); “Europe’s Digital Fortress: How Palestine is the laboratory for testing surveillance equipment sold to the EU” (Maldusa, June  2024); and “ “How Israel turned Palestine into a surveillance tech dystopia” (Middle East Eye, December 2021).

 9. See for example: “Israel’s destructive West Bank military operation fuels mass forced displacement of Palestinians” (Amnesty International, June 2025). See also: “More than 95 percent of Gaza’s agricultural land unusable, UN warns” (Al-Jazeera, May 2025); “Israeli bulldozers demolish most of a West Bank hamlet, displacing dozens of Palestinians” (Associated Press, May 2025); “Gaza food production ‘decimated’ with 70% of farmland hit, UN finds” (Guardian, November 2024); “’Bulldozed and shelled’: Gaza’s farming sector ravaged by war” (France24, July 2024); “Gaza: Israel’s destruction of hundreds of dunams of agricultural land is expression of its insistence on committing genocide” (Euromed Monitor, September 2024); and “They destroyed our dreams’: Israel’s bulldozers target Palestinian women farmers” (Middle East Eye, February 2021).

10. We note that there has already been precedents set as of April 2023 in relation to ADB’s institutional compliance with international sanctions on Russia, see for example: “ADB Bolsters Integrity Sanctions Controls and Investigations Amid Increasing Risks” (27 April 2023).

Share this Post