Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
One of the ways Palestinians have asked the international community for support is through Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions - BDS.
A broad consensus among Palestinian civil society, which saw the need for a broad and sustained BDS campaign resulted in the Palestinian 'Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Against Israel', launched in July 2005 with the initial endorsement of over 170 Palestinian organizations.
The signatories to this call represent the three major components of the Palestinian people: the refugees in exile, Palestinians under occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the discriminated Palestinian citizens of the Israeli state.
Efforts to coordinate the BDS campaign, which began to grow rapidly after the 2005 Call was made public, culminated in the first Palestinian BDS Conference held in Ramallah in November 2007. Out of this conference emerged the BDS National Committee (BNC) as the Palestinian coordinating body for the BDS campaign worldwide. You can read more on the website of the BDS National Committee.
BDS for Aotearoa! Target the big Six!
REMEMBER the importance of targeting these consumer products:
Obela Hommus:
Obela is 50% owned by Israel’s largest food company, Strauss Group, which is known for its support of the Israeli military, namely the elite Golani and Givati infantry brigades, whom they fund and provide care packages for.
Foodstuffs outlets (New World, Pak ‘n Save, Four Square)
Foodstuffs have a complaint process, for their customers, which they take seriously.
This is your opportunity to let Foodstuffs know your feelings about Obela products.
We encourage supporters to write a complaint on a complaint form available at the stores – eg complain about the products’ links to Israel and the genocidal policies of the Israeli regime. It will mean also writing to Foodstuffs to get the product removed as well – pressure from both ends on the company.
Go into your local Countdown, PaknSave, New World, 4Square and Fresh Choice Supermarkets.
Confirm if they stock the Obela brand of products in their chilled department. Product range includes hummus and dips.
If they do, go to the Information desk and request to lodge an official customer complaint with the checkout or duty manager.
Complete the customer complaint form, either in print, or online, requesting the Obela products be removed for sale from the store due to its parent companies, Strauss and Sabra, being directly involved in the illegal occupation of Palestinian land and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Request the complaint be escalated to the supermarket's head office.
This is an example of the kind of complain form that is used.
AHAVA products:
(“Dead Sea Mineral Skin Care Products”) Ahava manufactures its cosmetics in a factory in the illegal Mitzpe Shalem settlement in the occupied West Bank. However, AHAVA labels its skin care products imported into the EU as originating from "The Dead Sea, Israel." AHAVA uses Palestinian natural resources without the permission of or compensation to the Palestinians. Meanwhile, Israel denies Palestinians access to the shores of the Dead Sea and its resources, although one-third of the western shore of the Dead Sea lies in the occupied West Bank.
SodaStream:
Soda Steam is actively complicit in Israel's policy of displacing the indigenous Bedouin-Palestinian citizens of Israel in the Naqab (Negev). SodaStream have a long history of mistreatment of and discrimination against Palestinian workers.
HP (Hewlett-Packard):
HP-branded corporations provide and operate technology that Israel uses to maintain its system of apartheid, occupation and settler colonialism over the Palestinian people.
Aside from providing services and technology to the Israeli army and police that maintain Israel’s illegal occupation and siege of Gaza, HP provides Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority with the exclusive itanium servers for its Aviv System. This system enables the government to control and enforce its system of racial segregation and apartheid against Palestinian citizens of Israel and is directly involved in Israel’s settler colonialism through its “Yesha database”, which compiles information on Israeli citizens in illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank.
BP and Caltex:
Both brands are involved in extracting petroleum products from the Eastern Mediterranean, within Palestine’s maritime boundary, for Israel’s benefit at the expense of Palestinians. Stealing from the occupied people of Palestine is a breach of international law.
McDonald’s:
McDonald’s franchises in Israel have been openly supporting the Israeli Defence Force’s genocide in Gaza with free meals for Israeli soldiers. McDonald’s International have been happy for their brand to be associated with the slaughter of Palestinians. Active boycotts of McDonald’s in different countries have already hit their sales and some franchises in the Islamic world are now flying the Palestinian flag to distance themselves from the Israeli franchise. This adds to the pressure on McDonald’s to close its Israeli restaurants.
BDS has a special meaning for New Zealand
New Zealanders have a proud record of standing up against injustices. We took action in support of black South Africans suffering under apartheid and under BDS we can take similar action now to support Palestinians suffering under Israeli apartheid.
Nobel Peace prize winner and South African Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, says international solidarity such as BDS is critical to ending injustices like apartheid.
"I have witnessed the racially segregated roads and housing in the Holy Land that reminded me so much of the conditions we experienced in South Africa under apartheid," says Tutu.
"We could not have achieved our democracy without the help of people around the world, who through... non-violent means, such as boycotts and disinvestment, encouraged their governments and other corporate actors to reverse decades-long support for the apartheid regime,"
What does BDS call for?
The BDS strategy has three specific aims:
The end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian land,
The right of return to their land and homes for Palestinians expelled by Israel
The end of apartheid laws discriminating against Palestinians who have Israeli citizenship
BDS Movement
The BDS Movement - Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.
PSNA is the New Zealand representative on the Asia Pacific regional group of the BDS Movement.
Act Now Against These Companies Profiting from the Genocide of the Palestinian People.
How can you get involved?
Halal Kiwi has created an app which you can download to your phone to provide a BDS list when you are shopping. Or if you just waant to see what to Boycott. You can find Halal Kiwi here - https://halalkiwi.com/
Support Palestinian calls for BDS. This means ending New Zealand Superfund investments in Israel, closing the Israeli embassy in Wellington and boycotting Israeli goods. Visit www.BDSNZ.org.nz for more details
Join your local PSNA group. Email: Secretary@PSNA.nz
When you are shopping, you can choose Not to buy Israeli goods. Just look for the following Bar Codes:
You can also add the Buycott app to your smartphone and choose to Buycott Israeli products. You can find out about it here - https://www.buycott.com/