U.S. rejects UN database of companies in Israeli-controlled territories - Pompeo

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo co-hosts an event celebrating the anniversary of the White House's Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) initiative at the State Department in Washington, US on February 12. (REUTERS Photo)

WASHINGTON, February 13 (Reuters): U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said the U.S. government would not furnish any information for a database of companies operating in Israeli-controlled territories that the United Nations Human Rights Council recently released, and said the compilation hurts peace efforts in the Middle East.

"The United States has long opposed the creation or release of this database," he said in a statement. "Its publication only confirms the unrelenting anti-Israel bias so prevalent at the United Nations...Attempts to isolate Israel run counter to all of our efforts to build conditions conducive to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that lead to a comprehensive and enduring peace."