LONDON: Palestinians affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza have initiated legal action against British oil giant BP, alleging its involvement in supplying crude oil to Israel facilitates human rights abuses.
The claimants submitted a legal notice accusing the company of violating international human rights laws and its own corporate policies, The Guardian reported on Monday.
At the heart of the dispute is the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, operated by BP, which carries oil from Azerbaijan through Georgia and Turkey to Israel. It reportedly supplies 28 percent of Israel’s crude oil, a critical resource for its military operations.
According to the claim, oil refined from the pipeline is being used to fuel jets, tanks and bulldozers.
“Israel relies heavily on crude oil and refined petroleum imports to run its large fleet of fighter jets, tanks and other military vehicles and operations, as well as the bulldozers implicated in clearing Palestinian homes and olive groves to make way for unlawful Israeli settlements,” the notice said.
“Some fuel from refineries goes directly to the armed forces, while much of the rest appears to go to ordinary gas stations where military personnel can refuel their vehicles under a government contract.”
The claimants want to take the case to a British court, citing BP’s UK headquarters and the claimants’ British ties.
The legal action argues that BP’s operations breach the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which require companies to avoid contributing to human rights violations.
It also accuses BP of complicity in alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, drawing attention to findings by a UN commission that Israel has committed war crimes during the conflict in Gaza.
The lead claimants include Palestinians who have suffered devastating personal losses during the war, including a British citizen who has lost 16 family members in airstrikes. Others face dire humanitarian conditions, displacement and lack of access to essential medical care.
The legal team stressed the physical and psychological harm endured by the claimants, including amputations and loss of loved ones and said they hoped the case would set a precedent for corporate accountability in conflict zones.
BP has not issued a public response to the claims or responded to media requests for comment.
