Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories...main factory and its visitors’ center are located in the Israeli settlement of Mitzpe Shalem in the Occupied West Bank. (All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law....) 37% of the company shares are held by the settlement of Kibbutz Mitzpe Shalem, 37% by Hamashbir Holdings...18% are held by Shamrock Holdings...and 7% by the West Bank settlement of Kibbutz Kalia...The settlements of Mitzpe Shalem and Kalia are cooperative companies owned by the settlers living in them...Both of these settlements are deep inside Palestinian territory...Ahava profits are therefore subsidizing these illegal settlements...formerly there were a few Palestinian communities on the lands on which these two settlements are located...Not only does Ahava profit from the occupation by locating its main plant and store in an illegal Israeli settlement, it also uses in its products mud from the Dead Sea, excavated in an occupied area, and thus it exploits occupied natural resources for profit...This “pillage” or “plunder” is illegal under international humanitarian law...In response to the growing controversy, Ahava [claimed] that "The Dead Sea and its treasures are international and do not belong to one nation.” [The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Ahava to respond to this item. We have not received a response.]