JCB challenged over machinery used to demolish Palestinian homes

Foreign Office quango says some of NGO's claims against machinery firm merit further examination'

The British heavy machinery firm JCB's sale of equipment used in the destruction of Palestinian villages in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is being examined by a UK government body to determine whether its due diligence process complies with human rights guidelines set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The case is likely to test the degree to which multinationals are responsible if their export goods are sold by local distributors in ways that infringe human rights.