BlackRock, Inc.

BlackRock represents the highest-value financial sector target globally due to its unprecedented scale ($13.5 trillion AUM) and its role as the largest institutional shareholder in companies enabling Israel's military operations and settlement enterprise. Named by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese (June 2025) as among the 'main investors' behind the 'economy of genocide,' BlackRock's exposure spans defence contractors, technology firms, and settlement-linked companies. The company's marketed commitment to ESG investing creates a documented hypocrisy gap that provides significant leverage for pressure campaigns.

Key Leverage Points

• Scale of Influence: As the world's largest asset manager, BlackRock's investment decisions shape corporate behaviour across thousands of companies. Holds 6-8% stakes in virtually every major defence contractor and settlement-linked enterprise, giving it board-level influence.
• ESG Credibility Gap: ClientEarth's October 2024 greenwashing complaint and BlackRock's subsequent modification of 'sustainable' fund labels demonstrates vulnerability on ESG claims. Only 4% of ESG proposals supported in 2024, down from 20%+ previously.
• Pension Fund Exposure: BlackRock manages assets for major public pension funds (CalPERS, CalSTRS, NYC pensions, UK local government schemes). These institutional clients have fiduciary duties and face beneficiary pressure on ethical investing.
• CEO Public Stance: Larry Fink's vocal Israel support and criticism of campus divestment protests personalises the issue and provides clear target for accountability campaigns.
• UN Documentation: Official UN Special Rapporteur naming (June 2025) and UN expert warnings on 'complicity in potential atrocity crimes' provide authoritative basis for legal and reputational pressure.

Evidence Summary

The evidence against BlackRock is comprehensive and authoritative. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese's June 2025 report 'From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide' explicitly names BlackRock as among the 'main investors' behind companies complicit in Israel's genocide, including defence contractors Lockheed Martin (7.2% stake), Boeing, and Caterpillar (7.5%), and technology firms like Palantir (8.6%) that provide targeting systems to the Israeli military. BlackRock holds approximately $36 billion in the five largest US defence contractors whose weapons have been documented by Amnesty International in attacks on civilian infrastructure in Gaza.

The Who Profits Research Center documents BlackRock's stakes in settlement-linked companies including SolarEdge (8.05%), whose solar installations operate on Palestinian land in the Jordan Valley, and RE/MAX Holdings (7.61%), which markets properties in illegal West Bank settlements. These holdings directly contradict BlackRock's ESG marketing claims. In June 2024, UN human rights experts warned that financial institutions' investments in arms companies could escalate from being 'directly linked' to human rights abuses to 'contributing to them, with repercussions for complicity in potential atrocity crimes.'

Engagement Strategy

Focus on institutional pressure through pension fund divestment campaigns rather than individual consumer action. Target pension fund trustees and investment committees with UN documentation and fiduciary duty arguments. Coordinate shareholder advocacy demanding BlackRock vote against management of companies implicated in human rights violations. Leverage the ESG credibility gap by highlighting the contradiction between 'sustainable investing' marketing and defence/settlement investments. Support university divestment campaigns that specifically name BlackRock products in endowment portfolios. Frame messaging around authoritative sources (UN Special Rapporteur, ICJ, ICC) to maintain legal defensibility while maximising pressure. Build coalitions with environmental groups (leveraging ClientEarth complaint) and human rights organisations to create sustained multi-front pressure on the company's reputation and client relationships.