Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia-Some people in the world are furious with Israel’s attacks on the Palestinian territories which resulted in many civilian casualties. The anger of world citizens is reflected in the massive Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in several countries.
BDS has become a channel of expression for world citizens, when many big countries are silent or even support Israel’s brutal attacks on Palestine. This movement aims to pressure Israel and its supporters to grant rights to Palestinians.
The BDS movement is aimed at companies affiliated with and supporting Israel. The companies targeted are those who also support Israel in seizing Palestinian land, exploiting natural resources in Palestine and using its citizens as cheap labor.
The following are Israeli products that were boycotted through the BDS movement, as compiled by CNBC Indonesia.
1. Puma
 Photo: Puma Fashion (NurPhoto via Getty Images) |
Puma is one of the world’s leading sportswear manufacturers. Puma was boycotted by many people around the world because it was the sole international sponsor of the Israeli Football Association (IFA). “Puma provides international legitimacy to IFA activities, one of which is a football club based in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land,” wrote the BDS Movement.
“Puma’s support for the IFA directly supports off-the-field violations of human rights and international law, and allows the Israeli settlement regime to continue to thrive,” continued the BDS Movement.
2. HP
 Photo: REUTERS/Stephen LamFILE PHOTO: A Hewlett-Packard logo is seen at the company’s Executive Briefing Center in Palo Alto, California January 16, 2013. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/File Photo GLOBAL BUSINESS WEEK AHEAD – SEARCH GLOBAL BUSINESS 19 FEB FOR ALL IMAGES |
According to the BDS Movement, HP provides and operates technology used by Israel to maintain a system of apartheid, occupation, and settlement colonialism over the Palestinian people.
“In addition to providing services and technology to the Israeli army and police guarding Israel’s illegal occupation and siege of Gaza, HP also provides exclusive Itanium servers to the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority for their Aviv systems,” wrote the BDS Movement.
3. Siemens
 Photo: REUTERS/Michael DalderPeople pass Siemens flags ahead of the company’s annual shareholders meeting in Munich, Germany, January 31, 2018. REUTERS/Michael Dalder |
Siemens is claimed to be involved in illegal Israeli efforts to build the EuroAsia Interconnector in settlements.
The EuroAsia Interconnector is planned to connect Israel’s electricity network with Europe. Reportedly, illegal settlements on Palestinian land will be stolen to benefit from the electricity trade between Israel and the European Union produced from fossil gas.
4. AXA
AXA Insurance is said to invest in Israeli banks that intervene in Palestinian land. Meanwhile, the Israeli banks whose shares are controlled by AXA are Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi and Mizrahi Tehafot.
Through its subsidiary, AXA Investment Managers and a 64 percent share ownership in AXA Equitable Holdings, AXA also has investments in five major Israeli banks, namely Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, First International Bank of Israel, Israel Discount Bank, and Mizrahi Tefahot Bank.
5. SodaStream
SodaStream is a refillable machine and cylinder that allows users to make their own soda or carbonated water drinks at home.
SodaStream became a victim of the boycott because it was considered to be actively participating in Israel’s policy of displacing indigenous Palestinian Bedouin residents in the Naqab. “SodaStream has a long history of mistreatment and discrimination against Palestinian workers,” said the BDS Movement.
6. Ahava
Ahava is a beauty product brand that is sold in a number of countries. According to BDS Movement records, Ahava Cosmetics has a production site, drop-in center and flagship store in an illegal Israeli settlement.
7. Sabra
Hummus Sabra is a joint venture between PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, an Israeli food company that provides financial support to the Israeli army and is also the target of boycotts by the world community.
According to an Al Jazeera report in 2018, in recent times Israel’s diplomatic priority mission has been tackling BDS. In fact, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has moved to ban groups that support the BDS movement.
8. Fruits and Vegetables Harvested in Israel
Fruit, vegetables and wine from Israel are often labeled as “Produced in Israel” because they are thought to come from confiscated Palestinian land. Therefore, the BDS movement encourages people around the world not to consume fruits and vegetables from Israel.
“Boycott all products from Israel in your supermarkets and demand that they be removed from supermarket shelves,” wrote the BDS Movement.
It should be noted that one of Israel’s world-famous agricultural products is dates. In fact, Israel is one of the largest players in the global date market and is only one position behind Saudi Arabia in world date exports.
According to the Israel Agri report, the main buyers of dates from Israel are Italy, England, the United States, the Netherlands, Spain, France and Turkey. France is the largest importer of dates in the European Union with 29 percent.
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