Palestinian activists have hailed a decision by SodaStream International, an Israeli-owned soft drink company, to close its controversial factory in a settlement in the occupied West Bank, calling the decision a victory for the campaign for boycott, disinvestment and sanctions.
The decision by the company, which sells its fizzy drinks maker in 45 countries, to move the plant to Lehavim in Israel’s southern Negev region was for “purely commercial” reasons and not connected to pressure from pro-Palestinian groups over its location, said SodaStream representative Nirit Hurwitz.
The actor Scarlett Johansson got caught up in a high-profile row over the factory earlier this year after agreeing to serve as SodaStream’s global brand ambassador – drawing fire from Oxfam, where she previously had a similar role.
The Hollywood star then cut ties with the charity, citing “a fundamental difference of opinion”. Oxfam opposes all trade from Israeli settlements, saying they are illegal and deny Palestinian rights.
“SodaStream’s announcement … shows that the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement is increasingly capable of holding corporate criminals to account for their participation in Israeli apartheid and colonialism,” said Rafeef Ziadah, a spokesperson.
“[The] BDS campaign pressure has forced retailers across Europe and North America to drop SodaStream, and the company’s share price has tumbled in recent months as our movement has caused increasing reputational damage to the SodaStream brand.”
The factory, in the industrial zone of Mishor Adumim – adjacent to the large Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim between Jerusalem and Jericho – is scheduled to close by late 2015.
SodaStream has branded its machines as a cheaper, more environmentally friendly alternative to buying bottled or canned drinks such as Coke and Pepsi.
The company had defended itself as employing 500 Palestinians, along with 450 Israeli Arab and 350 Israeli Jewish citizens, and insisted that closure for political reasons would benefit no one.
But the BDS statement said: “Any suggestion that SodaStream is employing Palestinians in an illegal Israeli settlement on stolen Palestinian land out of the kindness of its heart is ludicrous.”
The BDS movement, which has made significant strides in recent years, calls for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands conquered in the 1967 war and the dismantling of its West Bank wall; the granting of full equality to Palestinian citizens of Israel; and respect and promotion of the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. Its position on Palestinian refugees is widely interpreted as implying that it does not support a two-state solution to the conflict.
Its statement said: “Even if this announced closure goes ahead, SodaStream will remain implicated in the displacement of Palestinians. Its new Lehavim factory is close to Rahat, a planned township [see footnote] in the Naqab [Negev] desert, where Palestinian Bedouins are being forcefully transferred against their will. Sodastream, as a beneficiary of this plan, is complicit with this violation of human rights.”
The success of the BDS movement reflects mounting pressure, especially from Europe, from NGOs, trade unions, churches and others forcing their governments to take action against Israel. The European Union is taking an increasingly tougher line and the boycott movement is gaining traction in the US, where it had previously struggled to win support.
