British firm denies involvement in alleged Israeli abuses

JERUSALEM (AP) — A British heavy machinery company has denied allegations by an international rights group that it is complicit in alleged Israeli abuses in the occupied West Bank. Amnesty International says J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited’s diggers and excavators have been used to demolish Palestinian homes and in the construction of Jewish settlements. Both activities are widely seen as violations of international law. JCB issued a statement late on Thursday saying it’s in no way linked to human rights abuses in the occupied territories, “either directly or indirectly.” JCB is among more than 100 businesses listed in a U.N. database of companies that operate in West Bank settlements.