JCB (JC Bamford Excavators)
Full Text
Rocester, Staffordshire, ST14 5JP, United Kingdom. Tel.: +44-1889-590312
JC Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB) is a British multinational manufacturer of equipment for construction, agriculture, waste handling, and demolition. The company has 22 plants on four continents and over 750 dealers around the world.
JCB equipment has been repeatedly used by Israeli authorities in the demolitions of Palestinian homes and in the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).
Services to the Israeli Ministry of Defense
JCB equipment is sold to the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) through JCB’s Israeli importer and distributor, Comasco Ltd. Comasco employees also provide maintenance services for JCB equipment at military bases.
The JCB 1CX backhoe loader is used by the Israeli military for urban warfare in the oPt. It has been used by the Israeli military Engineering Corps for "targeted countermeasures" in the occupied West Bank. The loader is used to carry out demolitions, excavations and opening travel axes during a battle.
The JCB armored High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE), known in Hebrew as "Ami", was purchased through the American Foreign Military Sales program and is used by the Israeli military 98th Paratroopers Division and the Engineering Corps. The "Ami" excavator underwent several modifications according to the requirements of the Israeli military, including the installation of items of equipment in the tools necessary for its operation and adaptation to the weapons of the infantry units. The excavator is used to break through obstacles and is resistant to explosions and gunfire.
According to a response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by Who Profits in February 2021 between 2019 and 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense contracted Comasco in at least 13 contracts for the purchase of a JCB Backhoe loader vehicle and a telescopic handler, for the purchase of JCB spare parts, and for JCB heavy equipment maintenance services, in a total amount of NIS 1.56 million.
The Wall and Checkpoints
JCB’s engineering equipment also contributed to the construction of the wall and checkpoints.
JCB machinery was used in the construction of the technologized aboveground, underground and underwater walls around the besieged Gaza. Completed in 2021, the project included 65 km of an underground wall equipped with technological detection means, a physical fence, a sea barrier, a detection array and combat rooms. These are another layer to the suffocating siege imposed on Gaza for over 17 years.
Track and wheel excavators and wheel loaders were documented during the construction of the wall near the Palestinian villages of Al-Walaja, Anata and Beit Jala and at the Qalandiya and Ofer checkpoints in the occupied West Bank. The models used for these tasks are JS330, JS200, 537 and 3CX.
House Demolitions
Dozens of documented incidents show JCB equipment used in house demolitions carried out by the Israeli military and Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. These incidents include the demolition of Palestinian residential, religious, agricultural and commercial buildings, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, the uprooting of trees and the destruction of graves.
According to Amnesty International, JCB equipment was used in Israeli activities resulting in human rights violations documented in the oPt between 2011 and 2021.
2024
Between February and April 2024, JCB equipment was used by the Israeli authorities to carry out demolitions in al-Issawiya in occupied East Jerusalem.
2023
On December 6, 2023, JCB backhoe loaders were used by Israeli Civil Administration (ICA) personnel to demolish two residential structures in Kh. Um Qusah, east of the village of a-Zuweidin in the South Hebron Hills. The Israeli forces demolished two residential structures belonging to a family of 20, including 16 minors, and two livestock enclosures it owns, as well as two residential structures belonging to another family, numbering a total of 18 people, including 13 minors. The forces also demolished two livestock enclosures owned by the second family. Both families were left homeless.
On October 31, 2023, a JCB excavator was used to demolish a family home in the West Bank village of Aurora, northwest of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.
On May 22, 2023, a JCB backhoe loader was used by ICA personnel to demolish a tent used as a residence by a family of seven, including five minors, and a residential structure still under construction owned by a different family, south of Khirbet Ma’in in the South Hebron Hills.
On March 14, 2023, a JCB backhoe loader was used to demolish two Palestinian homes that housed 12 people in Umm Tuba in Sur Baher, occupied East Jerusalem. The families were forced out of their homes by Israeli soldiers.
On March 1, 2023, JCB backhoe loaders were used by Israeli forces to demolish a Palestinian home in the village of Beit Dajan, northeast of Nablus, occupied West Bank.
On January 16, 2023, a JCB wheel loader was used by ICA personnel, accompanied by Border Police, in the demolition of 18 non-residential structures that provided a source of income for 42 families in the town of Hizma in al-Quds District, occupied West Bank. Among the structures demolished were 6 auto repair shops, 5 stores, a carwash, an office, a storage facility, a butcher shop, an abattoir and a gas station.
On January 10, 2023, a JCB backhoe loader was used by the ICA personnel, accompanied by a military escort, in demolitions in the town of ‘Anata in al-Quds District, occupied West Bank. The Israeli forces demolished a home under construction intended for a family of 5, and 14 non-residential structures, 4 of which were commercial and provided a source of income for 4 families.
2022
On December 13, 2022, a JCB backhoe loader was used by Israeli forces to demolish four Palestinian-owned homes in the village of al-Jiftlik, north of Jericho, in the occupied West Bank.
In December 2022, JCB equipment was documented in demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem area.
On August 22, 2022, a JCB excavator was used to demolish eight Palestinian-owned houses that were still under construction in the village of al-Dyouk al-Tahta, occupied West Bank by Israeli forces who raided the village.
On May 11, 2022, ICA personnel arrived with a military and Border Police escort and equipped with two JCB bulldozers at the village of a-Tuwani in the Masafer Yatta area in the South Hebron Hills, occupied West Bank, where they demolished a house under construction intended for a family of nine, including seven minors. In Masafer Yatta, twelve Palestinian villages inhabiting about 2,800 residents are facing demolition and expulsion approved by the Israeli High Court for the designation of their land to be used as an Israeli military Firing Zone.
2021
On December 6, 2021, a JCB backhoe loader was used to demolish a Palestinian house in Yatta village in Hebron Governorate in the occupied West Bank.
On November 29, 2021, a JCB loader was used by the ICA to demolish a building with an area of approximately 1,000 square meters that served as a showroom of a construction material business that supported about 20 families, in the neighborhood of ‘Anata, al-Quds District.
In November 2021, JCB equipment was used in house demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem. In October 2021, JCB equipment was used in demolitions in Al-Yousefiyah cemetery, the oldest Muslim cemetery in the old city of Jerusalem as part of the construction of a new park.
In October 2021, JCB equipment was used in demolition of water pipes supplying water to Al Samoa town in South Hebron Hills, in cooperation with Israeli national water company “Mekorot”.
On October 25, 2021, ICA personnel equipped with JCB bulldozer, accompanied by soldiers and Border Police, destroyed a dirt road connecting the community of Khirbet Khilet a-Dabe’ to the community of al-Fakhit, and destroyed the main water line that ran alongside it, which served most of the communities in Masafer Yatta.
On July 7, 2021, JCB machinery was used in demolitions in Khirbet Humsah, a Palestinian community located in the northern Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank. The demolition included 13 residential and 17 agricultural structures belonging to the community, as well as 4 water tanks, water pipes, fencing, and farming equipment. The community, living off agriculture, has suffered multiple demolition incidents resulting in denial of water.
On March 17, 2021, JCB equipment was used in the demolition of a residential shack and 10 tents used by 11 families, consisting of 66 people, in a-Nuwei'mah.
On March 2, 2021, a JCB excavator was used to demolish Palestinian houses in Kfar Yatta, south of the city of Hebron in the West Bank.
On January 28, 2021, JCB equipment was used in the demolition of 3 tents housing two families of 13 people, along with agricultural structures and equipment for keeping livestock in Wadi-al-Ahmar.
On January 27, 2021, JCB equipment was used in the demolition of a mosque under construction in Um Qusah. On the same day, JCB equipment was also used in the uprooting of 3,000 forest trees and 130 olive and almond trees in Khirbet ‘Einun in the southern West Bank.
2020
On December 1st, 2020, JCB equipment was used in demolition of a cave and two fabricated buildings used for agricultural purposes in Tal Zif in Hebron district.
On November 25, a JCB backhoe loader was used by ICA personnel to demolish three residential structures and 12 shacks used for livelihood needs, in Fasayil a-Tahta in the northern Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank. 17 people lost their homes, 6 of them minors.
On November 25, 2020, JCB loader was used in demolition of a tent in the Masafer Yatta area in the South Hebron Hills.
In November 2020, company equipment was used in the demolition of water tanks and water lines in Massafer Yatta.
On October 18, 2020, a JCB excavator was used to demolish a house and a shed near the West Bank city of Hebron.
On August 11, 2020, a JCB backhoe loader was used to demolish a house in Yatta, in the occupied West Bank.
On June 24, 2020, JCB equipment was used by ICA personnel for uprooting of some 70 six-year-old olive trees belonging to a family in the Bardala in the in the northern Jordan Valley.
2019
On September 11, 2019, a JCB excavator was used to demolish Palestinian homes in the village of al-Mufagra near Yatta, occupied West Bank.
On February 6, 2019, JCB equipment was used in the uprooting of 450 olive trees in the village of Bardala in the northern Jordan Valley.
2018
On July 4, 2018, a JCB bulldozer was used in demolitions in the village of Abu Nuwar, a Palestinian Bedouin community located near Abu Dis in the so-called E1 area in the occupied West Bank.
On February 21, 2018, JCB bulldozer was documented in the uprooting of trees near the entrance to the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba in the West Bank. The bulldozer was guarded by Israeli Border Police.
House demolitions were also executed using the company’s equipment in the Palestinian villages of Khan al-Akhmar, al-Mufagarah, Dkeika, Bir al-Eid, Lasefer and Umm Fagarah in the South Hebron Hills, in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Silwan and al-Suwaneh and in the Jordan Valley. The wheel loaders models used for these demolitions are 456e ZX and 3CX.
2017
On 16 January 2017, a JCB bulldozer was used to uproot olive trees on private Palestinian land near the village of Nabi Elias in the occupied West Bank as part of the construction of the Nabi Elyas Bypass Road (Highway 55) settler road.
Demolitions in the Naqab
On May 8, 2024, JCB machinery was used by Israeli authorities in the demolition of 47 homes in the Palestinian Bedouin village of Wadi al-Khalil in the Naqab. Israeli forces razed the entire Bedouin village of Wadi al-Khalil, as part of the extension of the route of Highway 6, leaving over 300 residents homeless. For more on Development & Military Projects in the Naqab see Who Profits’ interactive map: Tools of Dispossession in the Naqab: Development & Military Projects.
Settlement Construction
JCB heavy machinery equipment has been used in the construction of settlements, settlement industrial zones and settlement infrastructure projects on occupied Palestinian and Syrian land.
On November 16, 2020, JCB equipment was documented in the construction site of the Givat Hamatos settlement neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
On Nov 15, 2020, JCB machinery was documented in Beit Safafa working on land slated for new illegal settlement.
Between 2009 and 2013, JCB loaders and excavators were used for the construction of housing projects in the West Bank Israeli settlements of Alfei Menashe, Oranit, Ma’ale Adumim and Tzufin; in the settlement neighborhood of Har Homa in East Jerusalem; and for the construction and expansion of Kalia settlement’s beach in the occupied Dead Sea area, and in the Barkan and Ariel West settlement industrial zones in the West Bank. In addition, JCB machinery was used for construction projects in the occupied Syrian Golan.
The Jerusalem Light Rail
In February 2021, Who Profits documented JCB equipment used in the construction of the Jerusalem Light Rail (JLR) in the French Hill and in Ramat Shlomo settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. Company equipment was also used in the construction of the JLR station in the settlement neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev in occupied East Jerusalem.
The JLR network connects large settlement blocks in occupied East Jerusalem to the center of the city and its western side, creating territorial continuity and easing settler movement on both sides of the Green Line. For more on the Jerusalem Light Rail see Who Profits Update Developments in the expansion of the JLR network: The J-Net project.
JCB machinery was also used in the construction of the A1 high-speed railway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, which crosses the Green Line in two places. For more information see Who Profits Update Crossing the Line: The Tel Aviv Jerusalem Fast Train (A1).
Services to the Israel Police
In March 2023, Comasco was contracted by the Israel Police, with an exemption from tender, for the maintenance of JCB tractors, which are maintained exclusively by Comasco, until September 2023 for NIS 50,000.
In 2021, JCB’s Israeli distributor Comasco was contracted by the Israeli Police, with an exemption from tender, to provide JBC 3CX SITEMASTER Tractor maintenance services and spare parts purchase until 2024 for 210,000 NIS.
On 12 November 2021, the UK national contact point (UK NCP) for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises published its final statement on a complaint that alleged JCB’s responsibility for human rights abuses carried out using JCB equipment.
The UK NCP has found that JCB did not breach its obligation under paragraph 3 of Chapter IV of the Guidelines by virtue of its relationship with Comasco; The UK NCP concluded that JCB did not fully observe the Guidelines under paragraph 4 of Chapter IV by not having a policy commitment to respect human rights; The UK NCP also found that JCB did not observe its obligations under paragraph 5 of Chapter IV by not carrying out human rights due diligence in its supply chain.
"UK NCP concludes that the alleged adverse human rights activities as depicted in the photographs and videos cannot be conclusively linked to JCB because of their business relationship with Comasco. Therefore, UK NCP did not find JCB in breach of its obligations under article 3 of Chapter IV."
In 2022, JCB introduced a human rights policy. According to the company, it is not responsible for any alleged human rights violations that may be committed by third parties using JCB products. For the full NCP statement follow this link.
JC Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB) is a British multinational manufacturer of equipment for construction, agriculture, waste handling, and demolition. The company has 22 plants on four continents and over 750 dealers around the world.
JCB equipment has been repeatedly used by Israeli authorities in the demolitions of Palestinian homes and in the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).
Services to the Israeli Ministry of Defense
JCB equipment is sold to the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) through JCB’s Israeli importer and distributor, Comasco Ltd. Comasco employees also provide maintenance services for JCB equipment at military bases.
The JCB 1CX backhoe loader is used by the Israeli military for urban warfare in the oPt. It has been used by the Israeli military Engineering Corps for "targeted countermeasures" in the occupied West Bank. The loader is used to carry out demolitions, excavations and opening travel axes during a battle.
The JCB armored High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE), known in Hebrew as "Ami", was purchased through the American Foreign Military Sales program and is used by the Israeli military 98th Paratroopers Division and the Engineering Corps. The "Ami" excavator underwent several modifications according to the requirements of the Israeli military, including the installation of items of equipment in the tools necessary for its operation and adaptation to the weapons of the infantry units. The excavator is used to break through obstacles and is resistant to explosions and gunfire.
According to a response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by Who Profits in February 2021 between 2019 and 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense contracted Comasco in at least 13 contracts for the purchase of a JCB Backhoe loader vehicle and a telescopic handler, for the purchase of JCB spare parts, and for JCB heavy equipment maintenance services, in a total amount of NIS 1.56 million.
The Wall and Checkpoints
JCB’s engineering equipment also contributed to the construction of the wall and checkpoints.
JCB machinery was used in the construction of the technologized aboveground, underground and underwater walls around the besieged Gaza. Completed in 2021, the project included 65 km of an underground wall equipped with technological detection means, a physical fence, a sea barrier, a detection array and combat rooms. These are another layer to the suffocating siege imposed on Gaza for over 17 years.
Track and wheel excavators and wheel loaders were documented during the construction of the wall near the Palestinian villages of Al-Walaja, Anata and Beit Jala and at the Qalandiya and Ofer checkpoints in the occupied West Bank. The models used for these tasks are JS330, JS200, 537 and 3CX.
House Demolitions
Dozens of documented incidents show JCB equipment used in house demolitions carried out by the Israeli military and Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. These incidents include the demolition of Palestinian residential, religious, agricultural and commercial buildings, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, the uprooting of trees and the destruction of graves.
According to Amnesty International, JCB equipment was used in Israeli activities resulting in human rights violations documented in the oPt between 2011 and 2021.
2024
Between February and April 2024, JCB equipment was used by the Israeli authorities to carry out demolitions in al-Issawiya in occupied East Jerusalem.
2023
On December 6, 2023, JCB backhoe loaders were used by Israeli Civil Administration (ICA) personnel to demolish two residential structures in Kh. Um Qusah, east of the village of a-Zuweidin in the South Hebron Hills. The Israeli forces demolished two residential structures belonging to a family of 20, including 16 minors, and two livestock enclosures it owns, as well as two residential structures belonging to another family, numbering a total of 18 people, including 13 minors. The forces also demolished two livestock enclosures owned by the second family. Both families were left homeless.
On October 31, 2023, a JCB excavator was used to demolish a family home in the West Bank village of Aurora, northwest of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.
On May 22, 2023, a JCB backhoe loader was used by ICA personnel to demolish a tent used as a residence by a family of seven, including five minors, and a residential structure still under construction owned by a different family, south of Khirbet Ma’in in the South Hebron Hills.
On March 14, 2023, a JCB backhoe loader was used to demolish two Palestinian homes that housed 12 people in Umm Tuba in Sur Baher, occupied East Jerusalem. The families were forced out of their homes by Israeli soldiers.
On March 1, 2023, JCB backhoe loaders were used by Israeli forces to demolish a Palestinian home in the village of Beit Dajan, northeast of Nablus, occupied West Bank.
On January 16, 2023, a JCB wheel loader was used by ICA personnel, accompanied by Border Police, in the demolition of 18 non-residential structures that provided a source of income for 42 families in the town of Hizma in al-Quds District, occupied West Bank. Among the structures demolished were 6 auto repair shops, 5 stores, a carwash, an office, a storage facility, a butcher shop, an abattoir and a gas station.
On January 10, 2023, a JCB backhoe loader was used by the ICA personnel, accompanied by a military escort, in demolitions in the town of ‘Anata in al-Quds District, occupied West Bank. The Israeli forces demolished a home under construction intended for a family of 5, and 14 non-residential structures, 4 of which were commercial and provided a source of income for 4 families.
2022
On December 13, 2022, a JCB backhoe loader was used by Israeli forces to demolish four Palestinian-owned homes in the village of al-Jiftlik, north of Jericho, in the occupied West Bank.
In December 2022, JCB equipment was documented in demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem area.
On August 22, 2022, a JCB excavator was used to demolish eight Palestinian-owned houses that were still under construction in the village of al-Dyouk al-Tahta, occupied West Bank by Israeli forces who raided the village.
On May 11, 2022, ICA personnel arrived with a military and Border Police escort and equipped with two JCB bulldozers at the village of a-Tuwani in the Masafer Yatta area in the South Hebron Hills, occupied West Bank, where they demolished a house under construction intended for a family of nine, including seven minors. In Masafer Yatta, twelve Palestinian villages inhabiting about 2,800 residents are facing demolition and expulsion approved by the Israeli High Court for the designation of their land to be used as an Israeli military Firing Zone.
2021
On December 6, 2021, a JCB backhoe loader was used to demolish a Palestinian house in Yatta village in Hebron Governorate in the occupied West Bank.
On November 29, 2021, a JCB loader was used by the ICA to demolish a building with an area of approximately 1,000 square meters that served as a showroom of a construction material business that supported about 20 families, in the neighborhood of ‘Anata, al-Quds District.
In November 2021, JCB equipment was used in house demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem. In October 2021, JCB equipment was used in demolitions in Al-Yousefiyah cemetery, the oldest Muslim cemetery in the old city of Jerusalem as part of the construction of a new park.
In October 2021, JCB equipment was used in demolition of water pipes supplying water to Al Samoa town in South Hebron Hills, in cooperation with Israeli national water company “Mekorot”.
On October 25, 2021, ICA personnel equipped with JCB bulldozer, accompanied by soldiers and Border Police, destroyed a dirt road connecting the community of Khirbet Khilet a-Dabe’ to the community of al-Fakhit, and destroyed the main water line that ran alongside it, which served most of the communities in Masafer Yatta.
On July 7, 2021, JCB machinery was used in demolitions in Khirbet Humsah, a Palestinian community located in the northern Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank. The demolition included 13 residential and 17 agricultural structures belonging to the community, as well as 4 water tanks, water pipes, fencing, and farming equipment. The community, living off agriculture, has suffered multiple demolition incidents resulting in denial of water.
On March 17, 2021, JCB equipment was used in the demolition of a residential shack and 10 tents used by 11 families, consisting of 66 people, in a-Nuwei'mah.
On March 2, 2021, a JCB excavator was used to demolish Palestinian houses in Kfar Yatta, south of the city of Hebron in the West Bank.
On January 28, 2021, JCB equipment was used in the demolition of 3 tents housing two families of 13 people, along with agricultural structures and equipment for keeping livestock in Wadi-al-Ahmar.
On January 27, 2021, JCB equipment was used in the demolition of a mosque under construction in Um Qusah. On the same day, JCB equipment was also used in the uprooting of 3,000 forest trees and 130 olive and almond trees in Khirbet ‘Einun in the southern West Bank.
2020
On December 1st, 2020, JCB equipment was used in demolition of a cave and two fabricated buildings used for agricultural purposes in Tal Zif in Hebron district.
On November 25, a JCB backhoe loader was used by ICA personnel to demolish three residential structures and 12 shacks used for livelihood needs, in Fasayil a-Tahta in the northern Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank. 17 people lost their homes, 6 of them minors.
On November 25, 2020, JCB loader was used in demolition of a tent in the Masafer Yatta area in the South Hebron Hills.
In November 2020, company equipment was used in the demolition of water tanks and water lines in Massafer Yatta.
On October 18, 2020, a JCB excavator was used to demolish a house and a shed near the West Bank city of Hebron.
On August 11, 2020, a JCB backhoe loader was used to demolish a house in Yatta, in the occupied West Bank.
On June 24, 2020, JCB equipment was used by ICA personnel for uprooting of some 70 six-year-old olive trees belonging to a family in the Bardala in the in the northern Jordan Valley.
2019
On September 11, 2019, a JCB excavator was used to demolish Palestinian homes in the village of al-Mufagra near Yatta, occupied West Bank.
On February 6, 2019, JCB equipment was used in the uprooting of 450 olive trees in the village of Bardala in the northern Jordan Valley.
2018
On July 4, 2018, a JCB bulldozer was used in demolitions in the village of Abu Nuwar, a Palestinian Bedouin community located near Abu Dis in the so-called E1 area in the occupied West Bank.
On February 21, 2018, JCB bulldozer was documented in the uprooting of trees near the entrance to the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba in the West Bank. The bulldozer was guarded by Israeli Border Police.
House demolitions were also executed using the company’s equipment in the Palestinian villages of Khan al-Akhmar, al-Mufagarah, Dkeika, Bir al-Eid, Lasefer and Umm Fagarah in the South Hebron Hills, in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Silwan and al-Suwaneh and in the Jordan Valley. The wheel loaders models used for these demolitions are 456e ZX and 3CX.
2017
On 16 January 2017, a JCB bulldozer was used to uproot olive trees on private Palestinian land near the village of Nabi Elias in the occupied West Bank as part of the construction of the Nabi Elyas Bypass Road (Highway 55) settler road.
Demolitions in the Naqab
On May 8, 2024, JCB machinery was used by Israeli authorities in the demolition of 47 homes in the Palestinian Bedouin village of Wadi al-Khalil in the Naqab. Israeli forces razed the entire Bedouin village of Wadi al-Khalil, as part of the extension of the route of Highway 6, leaving over 300 residents homeless. For more on Development & Military Projects in the Naqab see Who Profits’ interactive map: Tools of Dispossession in the Naqab: Development & Military Projects.
Settlement Construction
JCB heavy machinery equipment has been used in the construction of settlements, settlement industrial zones and settlement infrastructure projects on occupied Palestinian and Syrian land.
On November 16, 2020, JCB equipment was documented in the construction site of the Givat Hamatos settlement neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
On Nov 15, 2020, JCB machinery was documented in Beit Safafa working on land slated for new illegal settlement.
Between 2009 and 2013, JCB loaders and excavators were used for the construction of housing projects in the West Bank Israeli settlements of Alfei Menashe, Oranit, Ma’ale Adumim and Tzufin; in the settlement neighborhood of Har Homa in East Jerusalem; and for the construction and expansion of Kalia settlement’s beach in the occupied Dead Sea area, and in the Barkan and Ariel West settlement industrial zones in the West Bank. In addition, JCB machinery was used for construction projects in the occupied Syrian Golan.
The Jerusalem Light Rail
In February 2021, Who Profits documented JCB equipment used in the construction of the Jerusalem Light Rail (JLR) in the French Hill and in Ramat Shlomo settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. Company equipment was also used in the construction of the JLR station in the settlement neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev in occupied East Jerusalem.
The JLR network connects large settlement blocks in occupied East Jerusalem to the center of the city and its western side, creating territorial continuity and easing settler movement on both sides of the Green Line. For more on the Jerusalem Light Rail see Who Profits Update Developments in the expansion of the JLR network: The J-Net project.
JCB machinery was also used in the construction of the A1 high-speed railway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, which crosses the Green Line in two places. For more information see Who Profits Update Crossing the Line: The Tel Aviv Jerusalem Fast Train (A1).
Services to the Israel Police
In March 2023, Comasco was contracted by the Israel Police, with an exemption from tender, for the maintenance of JCB tractors, which are maintained exclusively by Comasco, until September 2023 for NIS 50,000.
In 2021, JCB’s Israeli distributor Comasco was contracted by the Israeli Police, with an exemption from tender, to provide JBC 3CX SITEMASTER Tractor maintenance services and spare parts purchase until 2024 for 210,000 NIS.
On 12 November 2021, the UK national contact point (UK NCP) for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises published its final statement on a complaint that alleged JCB’s responsibility for human rights abuses carried out using JCB equipment.
The UK NCP has found that JCB did not breach its obligation under paragraph 3 of Chapter IV of the Guidelines by virtue of its relationship with Comasco; The UK NCP concluded that JCB did not fully observe the Guidelines under paragraph 4 of Chapter IV by not having a policy commitment to respect human rights; The UK NCP also found that JCB did not observe its obligations under paragraph 5 of Chapter IV by not carrying out human rights due diligence in its supply chain.
"UK NCP concludes that the alleged adverse human rights activities as depicted in the photographs and videos cannot be conclusively linked to JCB because of their business relationship with Comasco. Therefore, UK NCP did not find JCB in breach of its obligations under article 3 of Chapter IV."
In 2022, JCB introduced a human rights policy. According to the company, it is not responsible for any alleged human rights violations that may be committed by third parties using JCB products. For the full NCP statement follow this link.
Be a part of our community
Join Our Mailing List
JCB (JC Bamford Excavators)
Rocester, Staffordshire, ST14 5JP, United Kingdom.
Tel.: +44-1889-590312
JC Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB) is a British multinational manufacturer of equipment for construction, agriculture, waste handling, and demolition. The company has 22 plants on four continents and over 750 dealers around the world.
JCB equipment has been repeatedly used by Israeli authorities in the demolitions of Palestinian homes and in the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).
Services to the Israeli Ministry of Defense
JCB equipment is sold to the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) through JCB’s Israeli importer and distributor, Comasco Ltd. Comasco employees also provide maintenance services for JCB equipment at military bases.
The JCB 1CX backhoe loader is used by the Israeli military for urban warfare in the oPt. It has been used by the Israeli military Engineering Corps for "targeted countermeasures" in the occupied West Bank. The loader is used to carry out demolitions, excavations and opening travel axes during a battle.
The JCB armored High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE), known in Hebrew as "Ami", was purchased through the American Foreign Military Sales program and is used by the Israeli military 98th Paratroopers Division and the Engineering Corps. The "Ami" excavator underwent several modifications according to the requirements of the Israeli military, including the installation of items of equipment in the tools necessary for its operation and adaptation to the weapons of the infantry units. The excavator is used to break through obstacles and is resistant to explosions and gunfire.
According to a response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by Who Profits in February 2021 between 2019 and 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense contracted Comasco in at least 13 contracts for the purchase of a JCB Backhoe loader vehicle and a telescopic handler, for the purchase of JCB spare parts, and for JCB heavy equipment maintenance services, in a total amount of NIS 1.56 million.
The Wall and Checkpoints
JCB’s engineering equipment also contributed to the construction of the wall and checkpoints.
JCB machinery was used in the construction of the technologized aboveground, underground and underwater walls around the besieged Gaza. Completed in 2021, the project included 65 km of an underground wall equipped with technological detection means, a physical fence, a sea barrier, a detection array and combat rooms. These are another layer to the suffocating siege imposed on Gaza for over 17 years.
Track and wheel excavators and wheel loaders were documented during the construction of the wall near the Palestinian villages of Al-Walaja, Anata and Beit Jala and at the Qalandiya and Ofer checkpoints in the occupied West Bank. The models used for these tasks are JS330, JS200, 537 and 3CX.
House Demolitions
Dozens of documented incidents show JCB equipment used in house demolitions carried out by the Israeli military and Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. These incidents include the demolition of Palestinian residential, religious, agricultural and commercial buildings, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, the uprooting of trees and the destruction of graves.
According to Amnesty International, JCB equipment was used in Israeli activities resulting in human rights violations documented in the oPt between 2011 and 2021.
2024
Between February and April 2024, JCB equipment was used by the Israeli authorities to carry out demolitions in al-Issawiya in occupied East Jerusalem.
2023
On December 6, 2023, JCB backhoe loaders were used by Israeli Civil Administration (ICA) personnel to demolish two residential structures in Kh. Um Qusah, east of the village of a-Zuweidin in the South Hebron Hills. The Israeli forces demolished two residential structures belonging to a family of 20, including 16 minors, and two livestock enclosures it owns, as well as two residential structures belonging to another family, numbering a total of 18 people, including 13 minors. The forces also demolished two livestock enclosures owned by the second family. Both families were left homeless.
On October 31, 2023, a JCB excavator was used to demolish a family home in the West Bank village of Aurora, northwest of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.
On May 22, 2023, a JCB backhoe loader was used by ICA personnel to demolish a tent used as a residence by a family of seven, including five minors, and a residential structure still under construction owned by a different family, south of Khirbet Ma’in in the South Hebron Hills.
On March 14, 2023, a JCB backhoe loader was used to demolish two Palestinian homes that housed 12 people in Umm Tuba in Sur Baher, occupied East Jerusalem. The families were forced out of their homes by Israeli soldiers.
On March 1, 2023, JCB backhoe loaders were used by Israeli forces to demolish a Palestinian home in the village of Beit Dajan, northeast of Nablus, occupied West Bank.
On January 16, 2023, a JCB wheel loader was used by ICA personnel, accompanied by Border Police, in the demolition of 18 non-residential structures that provided a source of income for 42 families in the town of Hizma in al-Quds District, occupied West Bank. Among the structures demolished were 6 auto repair shops, 5 stores, a carwash, an office, a storage facility, a butcher shop, an abattoir and a gas station.
On January 10, 2023, a JCB backhoe loader was used by the ICA personnel, accompanied by a military escort, in demolitions in the town of ‘Anata in al-Quds District, occupied West Bank. The Israeli forces demolished a home under construction intended for a family of 5, and 14 non-residential structures, 4 of which were commercial and provided a source of income for 4 families.
2022
On December 13, 2022, a JCB backhoe loader was used by Israeli forces to demolish four Palestinian-owned homes in the village of al-Jiftlik, north of Jericho, in the occupied West Bank.
In December 2022, JCB equipment was documented in demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem area.
On August 22, 2022, a JCB excavator was used to demolish eight Palestinian-owned houses that were still under construction in the village of al-Dyouk al-Tahta, occupied West Bank by Israeli forces who raided the village.
On May 11, 2022, ICA personnel arrived with a military and Border Police escort and equipped with two JCB bulldozers at the village of a-Tuwani in the Masafer Yatta area in the South Hebron Hills, occupied West Bank, where they demolished a house under construction intended for a family of nine, including seven minors. In Masafer Yatta, twelve Palestinian villages inhabiting about 2,800 residents are facing demolition and expulsion approved by the Israeli High Court for the designation of their land to be used as an Israeli military Firing Zone.
2021
On December 6, 2021, a JCB backhoe loader was used to demolish a Palestinian house in Yatta village in Hebron Governorate in the occupied West Bank.
On November 29, 2021, a JCB loader was used by the ICA to demolish a building with an area of approximately 1,000 square meters that served as a showroom of a construction material business that supported about 20 families, in the neighborhood of ‘Anata, al-Quds District.
In November 2021, JCB equipment was used in house demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem. In October 2021, JCB equipment was used in demolitions in Al-Yousefiyah cemetery, the oldest Muslim cemetery in the old city of Jerusalem as part of the construction of a new park.
In October 2021, JCB equipment was used in demolition of water pipes supplying water to Al Samoa town in South Hebron Hills, in cooperation with Israeli national water company “Mekorot”.
On October 25, 2021, ICA personnel equipped with JCB bulldozer, accompanied by soldiers and Border Police, destroyed a dirt road connecting the community of Khirbet Khilet a-Dabe’ to the community of al-Fakhit, and destroyed the main water line that ran alongside it, which served most of the communities in Masafer Yatta.
On July 7, 2021, JCB machinery was used in demolitions in Khirbet Humsah, a Palestinian community located in the northern Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank. The demolition included 13 residential and 17 agricultural structures belonging to the community, as well as 4 water tanks, water pipes, fencing, and farming equipment. The community, living off agriculture, has suffered multiple demolition incidents resulting in denial of water.
On March 17, 2021, JCB equipment was used in the demolition of a residential shack and 10 tents used by 11 families, consisting of 66 people, in a-Nuwei'mah.
On March 2, 2021, a JCB excavator was used to demolish Palestinian houses in Kfar Yatta, south of the city of Hebron in the West Bank.
On January 28, 2021, JCB equipment was used in the demolition of 3 tents housing two families of 13 people, along with agricultural structures and equipment for keeping livestock in Wadi-al-Ahmar.
On January 27, 2021, JCB equipment was used in the demolition of a mosque under construction in Um Qusah. On the same day, JCB equipment was also used in the uprooting of 3,000 forest trees and 130 olive and almond trees in Khirbet ‘Einun in the southern West Bank.
2020
On December 1st, 2020, JCB equipment was used in demolition of a cave and two fabricated buildings used for agricultural purposes in Tal Zif in Hebron district.
On November 25, a JCB backhoe loader was used by ICA personnel to demolish three residential structures and 12 shacks used for livelihood needs, in Fasayil a-Tahta in the northern Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank. 17 people lost their homes, 6 of them minors.
On November 25, 2020, JCB loader was used in demolition of a tent in the Masafer Yatta area in the South Hebron Hills.
In November 2020, company equipment was used in the demolition of water tanks and water lines in Massafer Yatta.
On October 18, 2020, a JCB excavator was used to demolish a house and a shed near the West Bank city of Hebron.
On August 11, 2020, a JCB backhoe loader was used to demolish a house in Yatta, in the occupied West Bank.
On June 24, 2020, JCB equipment was used by ICA personnel for uprooting of some 70 six-year-old olive trees belonging to a family in the Bardala in the in the northern Jordan Valley.
2019
On September 11, 2019, a JCB excavator was used to demolish Palestinian homes in the village of al-Mufagra near Yatta, occupied West Bank.
On February 6, 2019, JCB equipment was used in the uprooting of 450 olive trees in the village of Bardala in the northern Jordan Valley.
2018
On July 4, 2018, a JCB bulldozer was used in demolitions in the village of Abu Nuwar, a Palestinian Bedouin community located near Abu Dis in the so-called E1 area in the occupied West Bank.
On February 21, 2018, JCB bulldozer was documented in the uprooting of trees near the entrance to the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba in the West Bank. The bulldozer was guarded by Israeli Border Police.
House demolitions were also executed using the company’s equipment in the Palestinian villages of Khan al-Akhmar, al-Mufagarah, Dkeika, Bir al-Eid, Lasefer and Umm Fagarah in the South Hebron Hills, in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Silwan and al-Suwaneh and in the Jordan Valley. The wheel loaders models used for these demolitions are 456e ZX and 3CX.
2017
On 16 January 2017, a JCB bulldozer was used to uproot olive trees on private Palestinian land near the village of Nabi Elias in the occupied West Bank as part of the construction of the Nabi Elyas Bypass Road (Highway 55) settler road.
Demolitions in the Naqab
On May 8, 2024, JCB machinery was used by Israeli authorities in the demolition of 47 homes in the Palestinian Bedouin village of Wadi al-Khalil in the Naqab. Israeli forces razed the entire Bedouin village of Wadi al-Khalil, as part of the extension of the route of Highway 6, leaving over 300 residents homeless. For more on Development & Military Projects in the Naqab see Who Profits’ interactive map: Tools of Dispossession in the Naqab: Development & Military Projects.
Settlement Construction
JCB heavy machinery equipment has been used in the construction of settlements, settlement industrial zones and settlement infrastructure projects on occupied Palestinian and Syrian land.
On November 16, 2020, JCB equipment was documented in the construction site of the Givat Hamatos settlement neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
On Nov 15, 2020, JCB machinery was documented in Beit Safafa working on land slated for new illegal settlement.
Between 2009 and 2013, JCB loaders and excavators were used for the construction of housing projects in the West Bank Israeli settlements of Alfei Menashe, Oranit, Ma’ale Adumim and Tzufin; in the settlement neighborhood of Har Homa in East Jerusalem; and for the construction and expansion of Kalia settlement’s beach in the occupied Dead Sea area, and in the Barkan and Ariel West settlement industrial zones in the West Bank. In addition, JCB machinery was used for construction projects in the occupied Syrian Golan.
The Jerusalem Light Rail
In February 2021, Who Profits documented JCB equipment used in the construction of the Jerusalem Light Rail (JLR) in the French Hill and in Ramat Shlomo settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. Company equipment was also used in the construction of the JLR station in the settlement neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev in occupied East Jerusalem.
The JLR network connects large settlement blocks in occupied East Jerusalem to the center of the city and its western side, creating territorial continuity and easing settler movement on both sides of the Green Line. For more on the Jerusalem Light Rail see Who Profits Update Developments in the expansion of the JLR network: The J-Net project.
JCB machinery was also used in the construction of the A1 high-speed railway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, which crosses the Green Line in two places. For more information see Who Profits Update Crossing the Line: The Tel Aviv Jerusalem Fast Train (A1).
Services to the Israel Police
In March 2023, Comasco was contracted by the Israel Police, with an exemption from tender, for the maintenance of JCB tractors, which are maintained exclusively by Comasco, until September 2023 for NIS 50,000.
In 2021, JCB’s Israeli distributor Comasco was contracted by the Israeli Police, with an exemption from tender, to provide JBC 3CX SITEMASTER Tractor maintenance services and spare parts purchase until 2024 for 210,000 NIS.
On 12 November 2021, the UK national contact point (UK NCP) for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises published its final statement on a complaint that alleged JCB’s responsibility for human rights abuses carried out using JCB equipment.
The UK NCP has found that JCB did not breach its obligation under paragraph 3 of Chapter IV of the Guidelines by virtue of its relationship with Comasco; The UK NCP concluded that JCB did not fully observe the Guidelines under paragraph 4 of Chapter IV by not having a policy commitment to respect human rights; The UK NCP also found that JCB did not observe its obligations under paragraph 5 of Chapter IV by not carrying out human rights due diligence in its supply chain.
"UK NCP concludes that the alleged adverse human rights activities as depicted in the photographs and videos cannot be conclusively linked to JCB because of their business relationship with Comasco. Therefore, UK NCP did not find JCB in breach of its obligations under article 3 of Chapter IV."
In 2022, JCB introduced a human rights policy. According to the company, it is not responsible for any alleged human rights violations that may be committed by third parties using JCB products. For the full NCP statement follow this link.
Ownership
The company is privately-owned by the Bamford family.
Chairman: Anthony Bamford
CEO: Graeme Macdonald
Subsidiaries
J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited, JCB Sales Limited, JCB Service, JCB Landpower Limited, JCB Earthmovers Limited, JCB Heavy Products Limited, JCB Access Limited, JCB Power Products Limited, JCB Power Products Broadcrown Limited, JCB Compact Products Limited.
Partners
Comasco Ltd. is JCB’s distributor in Israel.
* This section refers to the company's general business partners