U.S. rejects U.N. database of companies in Israeli-controlled territories - Pompeo

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo boards a plane as he departs on a multi-country trip from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., February 13, 2020. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said the U.S. government would not furnish any information for a database of companies operating in Israeli-controlled territories that the United Nations' human rights office released, and said the compilation hurts peace efforts in the Middle East.

"The United States has long opposed the creation or release of this database," Pompeo said in a statement. "Its publication only confirms the unrelenting anti-Israel bias so prevalent at the United Nations ... Attempts to isolate Israel run counter to all of our efforts to build conditions conducive to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that lead to a comprehensive and enduring peace."