BOYCOTT ISRAEL CAMPAIGN
Klick auf das Label um mehr zu lesen!
BRANDS & LABELS TO BOYCOTT
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URL: http://www.inminds.com/boycott-brands.html
COMPANIES TO BOYCOTT
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Wir distanzieren uns von jeglichen islamischen Rechtsurteilen (Fataawa) in den oben angegebenen Links!
Folgende Informationen sind entnommen aus der englischsprachigen Seite http://www.bigcampaign.org/index.php
Why Boycott Israel?
The Palestinian people are experiencing their fortieth year of military occupation. The siege by the Israeli army and the economic blockade have devastated their daily lives so that ’normal‘ life is impossible.
Israel operates an entrenched system of racial Apartheid against its own non-Jewish inhabitants and has been illegally occupying Palestinian land in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights since 1967. It has sought to further annex these lands and has systematically transferred its own civilian population into these occupied territories in contravention of international law. Israel continues to build the illegal Apartheid wall, annexing vast swathes of Palestinian land in the West Bank and creating Palestinian ghettos, despite the ruling of the International Court of Justice that it is illegal.
180 Palestinian organisations and unions, in response to Israeli onslaught, have called for a campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Apartheid Israel.
Who Exports Israeli Goods
Carmel-Agrexco
Agrexco are a 50% state owned Israeli company who export fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs from Israel and the occupied territories. Agrexco are one of the three biggest Israeli companies exporting from occupied Palestine and account for 70% exports of fresh produce. Agrexco operate under the Carmel, Jaffa and Coral brandnames. Their products are bought by all major British supermarkets as well as small stores. Britain is an important market for Agrexo accounting for 60% of their imports to Europe. It is likely that Agrexco often mislabel their settlement produce as made in Israel.
Agrexco export minimal amounts of Palestinian produce,particularly from Gaza. They often use this as an argument against boycotters. Many Palestinians, however, refuse to work with them.
Agrexco say that 90% of the goods they export are from Israel, 5% from the occupied territories and 5% from elsewhere.
Thousands of Palestinians are employed in packing houses on Israeli settlements packing goods to be exported by Carmel Agrexco. These packing houses are often on land which has been forcibly taken from their communities Palestinian workers may be paid as little as 30 shekels (4 pounds) a day and have no sick pay, holiday pay, rights to unionise or contracts. Children are often employed on these settlements. These workers are compelled to work for the settlements because of the complete strangulation of Palestinian agriculture by the occupation. Many settlement workers have called on the international communtiy to boycott and campaign against Carmel Agrexco.
All Carmel Agrexco’s directors, shareholders and company records are in Israel.
Recently plans have been made public to sell off Carmel Agrexco.
Actions Against Agrexco:
2005 – Seven activists blockade Agrexco’s depot in Middlesex using metal cages made of Hares fencing and D-locks. All deliveries are stopped for over eight hours from the early hours of the morning. General Manager Amos Orr says the action cost the company over 20 000 pounds. Seven arrested for aggravated trespass. See https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/11/301360.html
2006 – Trial of the Uxbridge seven – The activists arrested in 2005 argue that Agrexco is ancillary to war crimes and crimes against humanity including the crime of ‚Apartheid‘ under the International Criminal Court Act 2001, an element of English law, and therefore they cannot be charged with ‚Aggravated Trespass‘ as one of the elements of ths offence is ‚ intent to disrupt a lawful business‘. The Judge in the trial rules that Agrexco must provide disclosure of their dealings with the settlements. Agrexco provide a list of settlements that they deal with in the Jordan Valley and elsewhere. The Judge entertains the defendants argument and Amos Orr and other employees of Agrexco are questioned on the subject of their knowledge of and complicity in war crimes. At the close of the prosecution case the judge rules that there is no case for the defendants to answer as the land where the defendants staged their blockade actually belonged to another company. The court effectively acquitts the defendants so as not to have to deal with the questions posed in their defence. A press conference is held at ULU about the court case.
2006 – Agrexco Blockaded again – Activists use similar tactics but make positive attempts to trespass in order to run the defence mentioned above. Activists unlock after eight hours. Police make no arrests. See https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/09/349971.html
2006 – Further Blockade of Agrexco – This time activists use metal cages and lock on to traffic barriers inside company car park. Police make no arrests and admit that the company have instructed them that they will not cooperate with any prosecutions. See https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/11/357149.html
Feb 2007 – Mass Valentine’s Day Demo at Agrexco – Over 120 activists converge at the depot in protest at the import of Valentine’s day flowers from Israel and the occupied territories. Valentine’s Day is one of Agrexco’s busiest times. The following day an affinity group locks the factory gates and occupies the front of the depot. See https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/02/361972.html
May 2007 – Palestinian Flag hoisted at Agrexco – An Affinity group removes the Israeli flag, hoists the Palestinian one, occupies the depot and locks on to trucks in the car park. Again no arrests are made. Staff violent towards activists. See https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/07/376532.html
August 2007 – Climate Camp Action – 80 activists protesting the seizure of Palestinian land and the environmental impact of freight transported fresh produce enter the depot. The Palestinian flag is hoisted, Activists lock on to the gates, a samba band plays in the front of the depot and the company offices are trashed. Seven arrests are made on suspicion of burglary but all charges are later dropped. See Where Do all the Flowers Come From
September 2007 – Campaigners from the Brighton-Tubas Solidarity Group enter a packing house in the settlement of Tomer and photograph boxes marked both Agrexco, Tescos and ‚Made in Israel‘ See http://brightonpalestine.org/blog/?p=216
October 2007 – Lock on to Factory Gates – Activists lock on to factory gates during a day of action called for by the BIG campaign. Action cut short by violence from staff. See
Feb 2008 – International day of Action against Agrexco – Lock on to gates and delivery trucks at the London depot despite extreme violence from staff Action at Agrexco’s depot at Liege airport carried out by Belgian Activists. Local groups carry out high street actions at supermarkets. See https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/02/391542.html
June 2008 – Activists commemorating the Nakba entered Agrexco’s depot, locked both gates, locked onto a truck and occupied the roof of the truck, flew a black flag over the depot and shut down the depot for nearly six hours. No arrests were made. See https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/06/401745.html
The Future of the Campaign Against Agrexco:
Carmel-Agrexco has potential as a target for the boycott campaign where international activists can work together, across Europe, Israel and Palestine. It is a settlement company, linked to the Israeli state and zionist expansion.
Agrexco in the UK are currently refusing to cooperate with the police in prosecutions of activists due to unwillingness to have their business practices exposed to scrutiny by the courts.
Further Reading/Resources
War on Want: Profiting From The Occupation
Agrexco Workers in the Jordan Valley (video)
Interview with Agrexco Worker (video)
Where Do all the Flowers Come From (Video)
AIC – Workers in the Jordan Valley
PSC – The Israeli Annexation of the Jordan Valley
In July 2006 the Palestine Solidarity Campaign sent the following letter to Agrexco UK:
This is to inform you that your business is not lawful.
The business carried out at Agrexco, Swallowfield Way, Middlesex cannot be defined as lawful business as your supply of produce from illegally occupied territories makes you ancillary to Apartheid and other Crimes Against Humanity under the International Criminal Court Act 2001 (Hereafter the Act).
Crimes under the International Criminal Court Act are criminal offences under English law.
Your company has disclosed that you export fresh produce from several illegal Israeli-Jewish settlements in the Jordan Valley, West Bank, Palestine. For example, your company deals with Mehola settlement in the central Jordan Valley.
The Jordan Valley is part of the West Bank, a Palestinian territory, that was illegally invaded by force and occupied during 1967. From 1968 Israel began colonising the valley and transferring its civilian population into illegal settlements there.
The transfer of a civilian population into occupied territory is a War Crime under the Act and is a crime under English Law. It is a crime under English Law to be ancillary to (or complicit in/accessory to) a War Crime.
Agrexco has had a packing house at Mehola settlement for a considerable period of time and has, by providing financial support through trade, to the illegal settlers living there, facilitated the subsistence and growth of Mehola settlement.
Settlement growth in the Jordan Valley has lead to the forceful expropriation of at least 95% of the land in the valley. This is land that was previously owned by the indigenous Palestinian population. The theft and cultivation, achieved through state violence and the threat of violence, of this land is a War Crime under the Act and it is a crime under English Law to be ancillary to it.
The building of settlements and settlement infrastructure in the valley has lead to damage being caused to Palestinian Civilian objects and territory. This damage has included the building, on occupied territory, of a wall along the length of the Jordan River and the building of a series of checkpoints, such as those at Al-Hamra and Al-Tayasir. It is a War Crime under the act for an occupier to damage civilian property.
In establishing the threat of violence in the Jordan Valley, to allow the construction of settlements like Mehola, the Israeli army has been guilty of Murder, a War Crime under the Act.
The situation established in the Jordan Valley can be correctly characterised as Apartheid. The minority settler population controls 98% of the land and a majority of the water in the Valley. The majority Palestinian population are marginalized on the land and are subject to a system of Israeli military law whereas the civilian settler population are subject to Israeli Criminal Law. Settlement expansion is facilitated by a state policy of Ethnic Cleansing against the Palestinian Civilian Population. Palestinian residents of the Jordan Valley must apply for permits to live in the valley from the Israeli military. The military has engineered a situation where residents increasingly lose their permits and have to leave the valley. This is coupled with a ban on new building in the valley, resulting in the majority of the Palestinian population, in some areas, living in tents. This restriction on building is enforced by house demolitions by the military of any new Palestinian structures. Ethnic Cleansing is a War Crime under the Act.
The above situation has been engineered by the state to allow the cultivation of land in the Jordan Valley, the most fertile area in the West Bank. Agrexco, a partly state owned company, has directly benefited from, and facilitated this situation:
Agrexco, of Swallowfield Way, Middlesex are ancillary to
- Murder
- Theft and Damage of Occupied Land
- Collective Punishment
- Apartheid
- Ethnic Cleansing
Which is a Criminal, arrestable offence under English Law. Therefore Agrexco’s business cannot be considered legal.Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Who Sells Israeli Goods
SUPERMARKETS
All major UK retailers sell Israeli goods, and most of them sell produce from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Some have made statements in support of Zionism and some have contracts with Israeli companies.
There is a growing movement to boycott Israeli goods in solidarity with the people of Palestine and in line with an international call for boycott, divestment and sanctions. There have been reports in the press that Israeli producers are experiencing a decline in demand for Israeli produce since the bombardment of Gaza in January 2009. This could be the beginning of a snowball effect for the global boycott movement.
Tesco
Tesco stores stock a large amount of produce grown in the Occupied Territories and purchased from the Israeli state, including fruit and vegetables from producer Carmel-Agrexco. Israeli products stocked by Tesco include fruit juice, mangoes, avocados, grapes, stonefruit, dates, herbs, pickled cucumbers, Exquisa potatoes, mixed peppers (from Israel and a second country of origin), Barkan wine, Yarden wine, biscuits, cold meat, dips, Osem soups and cakes, snacks by Beigel & Beigel, Telma (soup mixes and cubes, noodles etc) and socks (Tesco’s own brand).
Tesco sells products from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, many of which are exported by Carmel Agrexco. The company admitted sourcing ‚a number of products‘ from illegal settlements, including avocados, herbs, grapes and stonefruit, such as peaches, from farms in the West Bank and Golan Heights. In 2006 War on Want reported that Tesco sells Beigel and Beigel products sourced from the settlements. Tesco also sells gas cylinders for products made by settlement company Soda Club, and repackages settlement dates from Hadiklaim as Tesco own brand dates. Mehadrin-Tnuport Export Company (MTex) supplies Tesco with settlement citrus fruit and there are links between Tesco and the Arava settlement company.
In October 2007, a group of campaigners from the Brighton Tubas Friendship and Solidarity Group entered Tomer settlement in the occupied Jordan Valley and photographed medjoul dates, packaged by Carmel Agrexco, labelled ‚Made in Israel‘ and marked as bound for Tesco stores.
Products exported as ‚Made in Israel‘ benefit from the preferential trade terms of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which came into effect in 2000. Settlement products, however, are excluded from the beneficial terms of the EU-IAA.
When ITN screened an expose in 2007 accusing supermarkets of misleading British consumers, Tesco admitted it had acted „in error“ and stated that Israeli dates „originating solely in the West Bank will [in the future] be labelled as such.“
BIGCampaign and others groups have been campaigning against the ‘West Bank’ label as it misleads consumers into believing produce from illegal settlements is actually Palestinian. The Palestinian General Delegation to the UK has written a letter of protest to Tesco, and other retailers, for persisting in the use of this misleading label.
Tesco says that ‚freedom of choice‘ is one of the company’s priorities and consumers can choose not to buy Israeli products. However, in correspondence with campaigners in 2006, Tesco representatives said they were phasing out Tesco’s line of Israeli peppers due to consumer pressure. Boycott Israeli Goods campaigners have also consistently attended the Tesco AGM to raise the issue of settlement produce and propose a boycott of Israeli goods.
John Porter, one of the principal shareholders in Tesco, also has substantial investments in Israeli companies. In 2000, Tesco awarded a $1 million IT contract to the Israeli firm Tescom to provide a solution for Tesco’s Year 2000 conversion requirements.
During the bombing of Gaza, Tesco was targeted across the country by campaigners calling for a boycott of Israeli goods. In Swansea, activists stole Israeli settlement produce from Tesco and sprayed it with red dye to highlight Tesco’s complicity in Israel’s war crimes by profiting from settlement produce and enabling the settlements to trade and profit from their illegal occupation of Palestinian land.
Address:
Email: customer.service@tesco.co.uk
Tesco PLC
New Tesco House
Delamare Road
Cheshunt
Hertfordshire
England EN8 9SL
Marks & Spencer
Historically, Marks & Spencer has made statements in support of Zionism. Lord Sieff, chairman and founder of M&S who died in 2001, made several statements in support of Israel’s military policies. In 1941, Sieff said that „large sections of the Arab population of Palestine should be transplanted to Iraq and other Middle-Eastern Arab States“ (Jewish Chronicle, 21/09/1941). In 1990, Sieff, in a book entitled On Management: The Marks and Spencer Way, wrote that one of the fundamental objectives of M&S was to „aid the economic development of Israel.“
There have been no reports of M&S openly showing ideological support for Israel since 2004. The retail company has repeatedly asserted that „[it has] no ’special‘ relationship with any government, political party or religious group“ but accepts that M&S does „make representations to governments in support of [its] commercial aims.“ M&S management has not, to our knowledge, commented on Lord Sieff’s remarks in support of Zionism and has not made a statement as to whether the current management stands by them.
In 1998, Sir Richard Greenbury, then CEO of Marks & Spencer, received the Jubilee Award from Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. In 2000, the Jerusalem Report stated that „M&S supports Israel with $233 million in trade each year.“
In October 2000, the Jewish Chronicle reported that the British-Israel Chamber of Commerce (B-ICC) had held meetings at Marks & Spencer’s offices in Baker Street. However, in 2008 the store claimed that M&S „do not host meetings on our premises for the B-ICC.“ Nevertheless, in December 2004, Stuart Rose, CEO of Marks and Spencer at the time, was a listed speaker at the annual dinner of the B-ICC.
When questioned in correspondence about the sale of Israeli goods in M&S stores in 2008, an M&S spokesperson said that the company buys „from Israel as… from 70 other countries…“ and went on to state that the company would continue to do so. The letter continued to say that, „[w]e always put the country of origin on the products we sell. Where we buy Israeli products we label them as products of Israel.“
M&S stocks Israeli grapes, lychees, figs, plums, dates, fresh herbs, sweet potatoes, potatoes (Maris Piper, Desiree, Jacket, Marfona, and King Edward). Many of these products are imported through Carmel-Agrexco, a company part-owned by the Israeli state.
M&S also stocks large quantities of Delta Galil clothing, largely underwear. Delta Galil is Israel’s largest manufacturer and marketer of textiles. It is also a major beneficiary of the establishment of ‚Qualifying Industrial Zones‘ (QIZ) in Egypt and Jordan which promote an unequal normalisation of trade arrangements between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Egypt and Jordan. Marks and Spencer also sells textiles produced by Israeli firms, Solog and Polgat.
Until very recently, M&S openly sold products from illegal Israeli settlements. The Guardian reported in 2004 that the company stocked an extensive range of settlement products. Since 2007, however, M&S has made repeated statements to the press claiming that they do not stock goods from the Occupied Territories (see here, for example). In 2008, the store wrote: „We do not buy products from the West Bank, Golan Heights or Gaza as we cannot safely visit the suppliers in these areas because of the current security situation.“ It seems probable that the move to cease selling settlement products was, in fact, due to effective campaigning, protests and fear of adverse press coverage.
But despite the above assurance, there is evidence that M&S continues to stock Hadiklaim dates packaged as an M&S own brand product. According to a recent report by School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Hadiklaim, the Israel Date Growers’ Cooperative Ltd, „exports dates from Israel and from the occupied territories, especially Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley.“
In correspondence with SOAS in 2008, David Gregory, Technical Food Director for M&S, stated the following:
„In the past, we have sold dates from this region. However, we made a policy decision sometime ago to cease all purchases from this area. However, our UK suppliers do buy raw material (dates) from the organisation Hadiklaim on our behalf. The contract explicitly prohibits purchase from Palestinian Territories and Hadiklaim source the dates from elsewhere within Israel to satisfy our requirements. Traceability systems are in place to confirm the source of the dates.”
M&S has faced sustained protests due to their historic ideological support for the Israeli state and because of their policy of stocking Israeli goods. Pickets have been held and store signs and billboards subvertised. In Manchester, three pickets were held in January 2009 in response to the bombing of Gaza. Weekly demonstrations have been held in Newcastle and in London. M&S has repeatedly ignored campaigners‘ representations against the continued sale of Israeli goods.
Address:
Marks and Spencer plc
Waterside House
35 North Wharf Road
London W2 1NW
Email: customer.services@marks-and-spencer.com
ASDA
ASDA sells Israeli basil, tarragon, rosemary, sage, chives, dill, mint, thyme, passion fruit, mangoes, Blackfine plums, autumn red plums, medjoul dates, dragon fruit, pomegranates, avocados, organic sweet potatoes, sweet pointed peppers (red), sweet potatoes (“Georgia Jet”), frozen meat, biscuits, table wine (red, white, rose & sparkling), garden storage units and tinned grapefruit. ASDA also sells Carmel-Agrexco products (see above).
Since ITN’s 2007 report, ASDA has made several statements denying that it stocks goods in its stores from the ‚West Bank‘ (i.e. settlement goods). However, ASDA has recently made several ambiguous statements contradicting its earlier stance. A spokesperson from the company recently wrote, in correspondence with campaigners: „I am sure you can imagine it is very difficult for ASDA to take a position on behalf of all our customers over politically controversial issues such as the current conflict you refer to (the occupation of Palestine). On the sourcing of products from overseas we are always guided by the position of the UK Government and by the European Union on trade policy.“
There is evidence that ASDA does stock goods from illegal Israeli settlements in its UK stores. ASDA stocks potatoes from Mehadrin-Tnuport Export Company (MTex). MTex is now the second-largest Israeli exporter of fresh produce to the UK after Agrexco. In 2005, the company exported 1,500 tonnes to the UK, with a value of £25 million. MTex exports fruit and vegetables from the region, stretching from Lake Tiberias to the Dead Sea; this includes territory both inside and outside the green line.
Campaigners have recently reported seeing herbs labelled ‚West Bank Israeli Settlements‘ in ASDA stores. At least that’s accurate labelling but it does contradict ASDA’s previous statements to the press.
Campaigners have held many pickets of ASDA stores in Brighton and London in 2009 protesting against their sale of Israeli goods.
Address:
Paul Mason, Chief Executive Officer
Great Wilson Street,
Leeds LS11 5AD
Telephone: 0113 243 5435
Fax: 0113 241 8666
Co-op
Despite the Co-operative family of businesses‘ ethical image, the shelves of its supermarkets and high street stores have been found to carry Israeli products, including Carmel mangoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, sweet peppers (grown by Sulat), cherry tomatoes, herbs, passion fruit, Jaffa oranges and own brand tinned grapefruit.
The Co-op has faced pickets and repeated representations from consumers and campaigners over its sale of produce from illegal settlements and Israeli produce. In the last year, criticism has centred around the sale of settlement produce. For example, campaigners attended the Co-operative Group South East Region General Meeting in January 2008 and raised concerns about the ethics of selling settlement produce. The Co-op board undertook to look into conditions on settlement farms. Throughout the year, the issue was raised with Co-op management by members of the Co-op and its customers.
On the 5th January 2009 Len Wardle, Co-operative Group chair, wrote:
„The Co-operative Group board has decided to suspend sourcing products from illegal West Bank settlements. However, we will continue to trade with Israel and will seek to develop trading links with Palestinian farmers. The Co-operative Group only rarely curtails trade with particular countries or regions. However, in the case of the illegal settlement in the Israeli controlled occupied territories, it has proven to be all but impossible to ensure that supplies derived from the region are not perpetuating injustice and unfair terms of trade. We will no longer source dates, grapes and a number of herbs from the illegal West Bank settlements and will be phasing out the use of similar items from our own brand products.“
In making this statement, the Co-op is the first store to base its reasons for ceasing the sale of settlement goods on ethical concerns. The statement is weaker in some ways than that of M&S, but only in that it precludes the sale of West Bank goods and not produce from the Golan Heights. It is also unclear whether the Co-op’s definition of the West Bank includes East Jerusalem. Moreover, the Co-operative Group does not make any assurance that it will not sell products in its stores supplied by companies which source products from both the settlements and 1948 Israel, such as Hadiklaim, M-Tex and Carmel Agrexco.
In November 2008, YNet claimed that the Co-op had met with the Co-op Israel (a separate organisation) and agreed to open a chain of kosher supermarkets which will be equally owned by Co-op Israel and the UK Co-op. The UK Co-op has refuted this claim but admitted that a meeting took place with Co-op Israel.
On 16th February, 2009, students at the University of Aberdeen protested at the university’s Elphinstone Hall, where Co-op members were meeting, to pressure the food retailer to ban all Israeli products from its stores. A Co-op representative at the meeting said a motion on the subject of Israeli goods was due to be discussed by the organisation’s executive.
Address:
The Co-operative Group
Customer Relations
Freepost MR9473
Manchester
Email: customer.relations@co-op.co.uk
Waitrose
Waitrose stocks Israeli basil, tarragon, thyme, lemon thyme, rosemary, chives, sage, oregano, mint, curly leaf parsley, ‚Red Rosa‘ pears, sharon fruit, passion fruit, figs, lychees, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, grapes, strawberries, pomelos, pomegranates, galia melons, dragonfruit, organic medjoul dates, hadrawi dates, “Deglet Nour” dates, Cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes, ‚Pamino‘ peppers, ‚Red Romano‘ peppers, mixed peppers, goods from the Tivall vegetarian food range, ‚Food for Thought‘ snacks by Beigel & Beigel, cold meat, biscuits, dips and Dead Sea Magik cosmetics (found in John Lewis stores).
Waitrose has refused to enter into any debate about the sale of Israeli goods and its management has repeatedly refused to meet with campaigners. In February 2009, a spokesperson for the store reiterated that Waitrose was „unable to arrange a meeting“. In a letter to one customer, Waitrose said: „Whatever our own views may be about Israeli products, we do not think it is right to ask our buyers to base their choice of products on any other criteria than the commercial ones of quality and value for money.“
Waitrose stocks goods from illegal Israeli settlements and has been unresponsive to the ITN and More 4 reports which have led other stores to label their goods more clearly. The supermarket chain stocks a large range of products sourced from Carmel Agrexco, including a wide variety of organic herbs and vegetables grown on Israeli settlements, mainly in the Jordan Valley, and certified as organic by the Soil Association. Although Waitrose has not made statements to the press about labelling, a store spokesperson said „we clearly label our food to enable our customers to make informed choices.“ It appears unclear, however, whether Waitrose still labels some goods from illegal settlements as ‚Made in Israel‘.
According to War on Want’s Profiting from the Occupation report, Waitrose sells Beigel and Beigel products. Beigel and Beigel Ltd. is located in the Barkan industrial zone in the occupied West Bank and produces pretzels, savoury biscuits and crackers.
The John Lewis Partnership is one of the only large retailers to sell Ahava beauty products. Ahava is a settlement company based on the illegal settlement of Mitzpe Shalem. Waitrose also sells dates from settler company Hadiklaim (see above).
Waitrose claims that, if it ceased to deal with Israeli settlements, it would impact on Palestinian farmers. In correspondence with consumers, the retailer has described the settlement farms it works with as „joint Israeli and Palestinian“ enterprises. In February 2009, a spokesperson wrote: „We currently take organic cut herbs from two farms in the West Bank on which a mixed Palestinian-Israeli workforce have worked side by side for many years.“
Waitrose has responded to some concerns about the conditions of labourers on settlement farms. However, the response has been to assure customers that each ’supplier‘ audits the relevant settlement farms using a „tight criteria“ that relates to „worker hours, salaries and employment contracts.“ This effectively means that Waitrose entrusts the auditing of settlement farms to the settlement company supplying the produce, presumably Carmel Agrexco. Waitrose claims that its technical directors have inspected its supplier farms in the West Bank.
Overall, Waitrose has been one of the most intransigent British supermarkets when faced with concern over sale of Israeli produce and Israeli settler produce. The chain has been the subject of protests and pickets across the UK, including in Brighton and London where protesters dressed as burglars and displayed banners claiming „Waitrose sells stolen goods“.
Address:
Waitrose Customer Service Department
Waitrose Limited
Doncastle Road
Bracknell
Berkshire
RG12 8YA
Email: customer_service@waitrose.co.uk
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s sells Israeli oranges, grapefruit, avocados, strawberries, thyme, tarragon, parsley, coriander, rosemary, passion fruit, sharon fruit, ‚Shelly‘ mangoes, mejdoul dates, lychees, fresh figs, plums, fruit juice, minneola (tangerines), potatoes (‚Desiree‘, ‚Vivaldi‘, ‚Rooster‘, white, baking, baby, salad), sweet potatoes, peppers (‚Ramiro‘), pickled cucumbers, pickled olives, radishes, ‘Splendid’ flowers, ‚Basics‘ flowers, ‚Saveur Mediterranean‘ hummous, turkey, smoked chicken breast, Rumples party pretzels, Osem croutons, Telma chicken soup mix and soups, feta cheese, Tivall vegetarian food range, ‚Food for Thought‘ dips, table wine (red, white, rose & sparkling), Kiddush wine and Yarden wine and Osem foods.
This extensive list includes many products from illegal Israeli settlements, including fresh lemon grass from the West Bank and Sainsbury’s ‚Taste the Difference‘ Pomodorino tomatoes. Sainsbury’s stocks Hadiklaim dates labelled ‚Made in West Bank‘ and products from Soda Club, which has an office based in the settlement of Ma’leh Adumin.
Sainsbury’s has said, in correspondence with Boycott Israeli Goods Campaign supporters, that the store is not a political organisation and it does not boycott products from any country. Sainsbury’s does acknowledge, however, that „ethical trading is a growing area of concern for our company and consumers“ and that it has an „ethical trading policy.“ Whether ethical trading concerns would extend to the sale of goods from an apartheid regime on occupied land, that’s not something the retailer seems interested in answering.
Palestine solidarity campaigners have attended Sainsbury’s PLC shareholders meeting several years running, in an attempt to persuade the company to stop selling Israeli goods and to label its produce more accurately.
Sainsbury’s says it is committed to ‚informative labelling‘, despite describing one piece of produce as being from ‚Gaza Strip, Israel‘. After the 2007 ITN report about mislabelling of settlement Medjoul dates as ‚Produce of Israel‘, Sainsbury’s admitted that it had mislabelled produce and stated that „as from today, all dates from the West Bank will be labelled as coming from the West Bank. We are investigating how this error occurred.“
Meetings have been held between Sainsbury’s management and campaigners and NGOs about the labelling of settlement goods. At a meeting in 2009, James Clark, a ‚public affairs and stakeholder relations spokesperson‘, told campaigners that Justin King, CEO of J Sainsbury plc, had written to Hilary Benn, Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), asking him to clarify how retailers should label goods from Israeli settlements. Mr Clark said Sainsbury’s would be revising its labelling policy in the next six months and might consider labelling settlement produce ‚Produce of Israeli Settlement‘. Mr Clark was not prepared to listen to arguments that settlements were illegal and argued that the store did not have instructions to this effect from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, despite the fact that this is clearly set out on the FCO website.
Sainsburys have been picketed across the UK by campaigners calling for a boycott of Israeli goods.
Address:
J Sainsbury plc
33 Holborn
London
EC1N 2HT
Somerfield
Somerfield sells both Israeli goods and settlement goods in its 880 stores. Apax Partners, an investment company with subsidiaries in Israel and which advises funds holding shares in Israeli settlement companies Tnuva, Agrexco Agricultural Export Company and Field Produce Ltd, has a majority of shares in Somerfield.
It seems that because of the takeover by the consortium dominated by Apax Partners in December 2005, Somerfield rescinded its commitment to the Ethical Trading Initiative. However, as of December 2008, Somerfield is in the process of being taken over by the Cooperative Group. It remains to be seen whether Somerfield, under new ownership, will take a similar stance to the Co-op against the sale of Israeli settlement produce.
Address:
Somerfield Group
Somerfield House
Whitchurch Lane
Bristol
BS14 0TJ
tel: 0117 935 9359
fax: 0117 978 0629
Principal sources for this piece:
Boycott Israeli Goods Campaign – www.bigcampaign.org
Palestine Israel Ethical Shopping Initiative – www.easi-piesi.org
Coalition of Women for Peace: Who profits from the Occupation – www.whoprofits.org
War on Want – www.waronwant.org
Palestine Solidarity Campaign – www.palestinecampaign.org
UK economic links with Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory – Report produced by SOAS
Islamic Human Rights Commission – www.ihrc.org
Brighton-Tubas Friendship and Solidarity Group – www.brightonpalestine.org
Ratiopharm geht an Israel
Nach dem Selbstmord des Ratiopharm-Gründers Adolf Merckle war die Zukunft des Medikamente-Herstellers lange unklar. Nach einem Jahr Verhandlungen ist klar: Ratiopharm geht an Teva aus Israel. Im Kampf um die Übernahme scheidet der letzte deutsche Bieter aus, der einst ruhmreiche deutsche Pharmamarkt ist fest in ausländischer Hand.
Ausverkauf der Branche: Mit Ratiopharm geht ein weiterer deutscher Medikamente-Hersteller an einen ausländischen Konkurrenten
Der Ausverkauf in der deutschen Pharmabranche geht weiter. Nachdem in den letzten sechs Jahren mit Hexal, Schwarz-Pharma, Merck Dura und Altana-Pharma vier große Medikamentenhersteller an ausländische Investoren verkauft wurde, wechselt nun auch die Nummer zwei der deutschen Generika-Branche den Besitzer.
Der weltgrößte Generikahersteller Teva Pharmaceuticals aus Israel kauft den Ulmer Konkurrenten Ratiopharm, wie das Unternehmen mitteilte. Bis zuletzt waren noch Pfizer (USA) und als dritter Bieter ein Konsortium aus dem isländischen Generikahersteller Actavis und der Deutschen Bank im Rennen.
Unternehmenskreisen zufolge soll der Kaufpreis für den Ulmer Ratiopharm-Konzern bei mehr als drei Milliarden Euro liegen. Die Beteiligten selbst wollten sich zum Ergebnis der Verhandlungen nicht äußern oder waren für eine Stellungnahme nicht zu erreichen.
Ratiopharm gehört zum Firmenimperium der Industriellenfamilie Merckle. Durch riskante Börsengeschäfte hatte sich der Familienpatriarch Adolf Merckle verspekuliert und bei 60 Banken einen milliardenschweren Schuldenberg angehäuft. Nach wochenlangen Rettungsbemühungen nahm sich Merckle im Januar 2009 das Leben und vermachte den Großteil seines Firmenimperiums seinem ältesten Sohn, Ludwig Merckle.
Zur Firmengruppe gehörten nicht nur mit HeidelbergCement der größte deutsche Baustoffkonzern, sondern mit Ratiopharm, Phoenix und Kässbohrer drei weitere namhafte Unternehmen. Zudem umfasst das Vermögen der Merckles noch Ländereien und Immobilien. Um den Schuldenberg zu reduzieren, musste sich Ludwig Merckle bereits von einem Großteil seiner HeidelbergCement-Aktien trennen.
Auch Ratiopharm musste auf Druck der Gläubigerbanken verkauft werden. Mit den Einnahmen aus dem Verkauf soll der Schuldenberg weiter gesenkt werden. Der Verkaufspreis von mehr als drei Milliarden Euro hat viele Experten überrascht. Denn nach einem stetigen Anstieg der Bewertungen von Generikapreise nach dem Verkauf von Hexal an Novartis im Jahre 2004 gerieten die Übernahmepreise schon vor der Finanzkrise ins bröckeln.
Langsamere Wachstumsraten und immer mehr Restriktionen im Gesundheitswesen ließen die Preise für Generikafirmen sinken. Zusammen mit der Schwesterfirma Eon Labs zahlte Novartis für Hexal rund 5,5 Milliarden Euro. Danach setzte weltweit eine Übernahmewelle in der Branche ein. Teva etwa kaufte nur fünf Monate nach dem Hexal-Verkauf den US-Konkurrenten Ivax für 7,4 Milliarden Dollar.
Im Mai 2007 verkaufte der Darmstädter Merck-Konzern sein Geschäft mit Medikamentenkopien für 4,9 Milliarden Euro an den US-Pharmakonzern Mylan. In Deutschland kauften zuletzt indische Firmen kauften den Generikahersteller Betapharm und Heumann auf.
Mit dem nun beschlossenen Verkauf von Ratiopharm ist die deutsche Generika-Branche nun fest in ausländischer Hand. Acht der zehn größten Generika-Anbieter in Deutschland hätten dann einen ausländischen Eigentümer.
Die Bundesrepublik ist mit knapp fünf Milliarden Euro der zweitgrößte Generika-Markt weltweit, gilt aber als hart umkämpft und weitgehend gesättigt. „In dem deutschen Markt kann man nur noch durch eine Übernahme Fuß fassen“, sagte ein früherer Generika-Chef. Alles andere sei zu teuer und würde zu lange dauern.
Eine ähnliche Entwicklung gibt es auch bei den innovativen Pharmaunternehmen. Galt Deutschland noch in den 70er- und 80er-Jahren wegen der starken Pharmaunternehmen als „Apotheke der Welt“, verpassten die deutschen Arzneimittelhersteller in den Jahrzehnten danach den Anschluss an die Weltspitze. Zudem wurden immer mehr deutschen Traditionsfirmen ins Ausland verkauft und gleichzeitig die einstmals hoch angesehen Pharmaforschung verlagert.
Hoechst, Boehringer Mannheim und die BASF-Tochter Knoll verschwanden in den 90er-Jahren von der Bildfläche und gingen in ausländische Hände über. In den letzten fünf Jahren wurden dann auch viele Mitspieler der zweiten Reihe, wie etwa Altana und Schwarz-Pharma, die durch Finanzinvestoren aufgekauft.
Der Berliner Schering-Konzern ging 2006 in der Bayer AG auf. Der Leverkusener Pharma- und Chemiekonzern bildet heute zusammen mit dem Familienkonzern Boehringer die letzten Überbleibsel einer einstmals ruhmreichen Geschichte des Pharma-Standortes Deutschlands.
http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article6829122/Der-Ausverkauf-der-deutschen-Pharmabranche.html
Hier ist noch eine Homepage mit detaillierten Infos und Beweisen, warum man die oben genannten Kompanien boykottieren sollte.Die Seite ist auch relativ aktuell:
STOP FUNDING ISRAEL |
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COMPANIES TO AVOID : (These are the companies assisting the funding of the palestinian genocide by Israeli Defense Force) |
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