AXA, the multi-billionaire dollar insurance company, had been the target of a years-long effort led by Ekō, an international ethical-investing advocacy organization, pressuring it to unwind its holdings in the companies. In August, Ekō published an analysis showing AXA had unwound its previous holdings in Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, and Israel Discount Bank. AXA has also not reinvested in previously held positions in Bank Mizrahi-Tefahot or First International Bank of Israel, two additional targets of the campaign.
The banks were listed in a United Nations database of companies deemed complicit in maintaining the illegal occupation of the West Bank. “Foreign businesses that invest in these banks are complicit in Israeli war crimes,” said Leili Kashani, a senior campaigner at Ekō.
Until September of last year, AXA held 2.5 million shares in the three designated banks, worth around $20.4 million. But by June of this year, the company had effectively zeroed out its holdings, Ekō found. AXA’s portfolio still includes a residual position of 16,290 shares of Bank Leumi stock. Profundo, an independent research organization which contributed to the report, attributed that holding to “reporting and internal accounting delays” and deemed the sell-offs a “full divestment.”
That’s not how you write “hegemony”, and this is “spending influence”, which may lead to collapse if done too much. Hegemony is having a lot of influence to spend.