What evidence is there to prove that these companies targeted in
the boycott campaign are guilty of supporting Israel and its
apartheid policies?
Nestle
Nestle is the world's largest food company. Nestle's main
presence in Israel is in Sderot, a settlement founded in 1951
one kilometer from the Gaza Strip which is built on the lands of
the Palestinian town Al-Najd, which was ethnically cleansed in
1948.
Nestle began investing in Israel in 1995 by buying 10% of
Israeli food maker Osem Investments, increasing its ownership to
50.1% two years later giving it the controlling share and now
owns a 53.8 percent stake in Osem. Jointly with Osem, Nestle
runs a 700 m2 factory in Sderot. In total, Nestle currently has
over 4000 Israeli employees at 11 plants, with the following all
in "development zones":Tzabar Salads (an Osem subsidiary) plant
in Kiryat Gat (on the former site of Palestinian village Iraq
al-Manshiyya, destroyed by Israelis after 1948); a ready-baked
cakes factory in Ahihud; and a logistics center in Nachsholim
(Al-Tantura).
The 1700 m2 Nestle Research & Development center in Sderot is
considered particularly beneficial to Osem's growth as it gives
[Osem] advantages in technological know-how and increased export
opportunities through Nestle's distribution network. Nestle's
investment in Osem has meant that its products can reach a
global market. Of the 23 global development centers Nestle
maintains globally, Osem is becoming a global training center
for Nestle staff. It is producing a new breakfast cereal with a
technology that is registered as a global patent.
To summarise, Nestle builds on stolen Palestinian lands and
sells the products of such an apartheid system abroad so that
the Israeli economy can flourish.It is no wonder that Nestle
received from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 1998 the
Jubilee Award, "the highest tribute ever awarded by the State of
Israel in recognition of those individuals and
organizations,that through their investments and trade
relationships, have done the most to strengthen the Israeli
economy."
Nestle must close its factories in Israel and sell its shares of
Osem until Israel acknowledges the Palestinian right of return
and right of nation on all historical Palestine. If Nestle knows
that it cannot make enough profit in Israel to cover the costs
of business lost in the rest of the world, it will have no
choice but to divest from Israel.
Coca Cola
It has been
well known that Coca-Cola has been a supporter of Israel since
1966. There have been a number of recent events which clearly
prove this.
In 1997, the
Government of Israel Economic Mission honoured Coca-Cola at the
Israel Trade Award Dinner for its continued support of Israel
for the last 30 years and for refusing to abide by the Arab
League boycott of Israel.
On October
11th 2001, Coca-Cola World Headquarters hosted and
was the main sponsor of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce
Eagle Star Awards Gala.
In February
2002, Coca-Cola teamed up with “Friends of Israel” and National
Hillel to cosponsor a lecture given by the infamous zionist
correspondent Linda Gradstein at the University of Minnesota.
In July
2002, it was announced that Coca-Cola was to build a plant on
stolen Palestinian land at Kiryat Gat, in return for millions in
incentives from the Israeli government. The new plant will be
employing 700 Israelis. The land, Kiryat (Qiryat) Gat, has an
industrial park built on the lands of the village of Iraq Al
Manshiya. The residents were ethnically cleansed in 1949 in
contravention of International Law. This land would have been
part of Arab Palestine under the partition plan adopted by the
United Nations in 1947. However, this has not been the case.
In October
2005, Coca-Cola increased its investment in Israel by buying a
51% controlling interest in the Tavor Winery. Tavor Winery is an
Israeli company that is based on occupied Palestinian land at
the foot of Mount Tavor, overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
Coca-Cola’s
support of Israel has helped to oppress the Palestinian people,
and for this reason COMPLETE has included Coca-Cola as one of
the companies to be boycotted.
Loreal
L’Oreal has been present in Israel since 1983 via the Migdal
Ha’Emek plant. The settlement of this town was established in
1952 on lands belonging to the ethnically cleansed Palestinian
village of al-Mujaydil, whose inhabitants are still denied the
right to return to their homes. Like many other Israeli
settlements in Palestinian villages, Migdal Ha-emek
discriminates against Palestinian citizens of Israel, denying
them the right to buy, rent or live on any part of the town,
simply because they are “non Jews”.
To reinforce its presence in the country, it established L’Oreal
Israel in 1994. L’Oreal Israel manufacturers a line of products
using minerals that are from the Dead Sea. This line is called
‘Natural Sea Beauty’ that is exported to 22 countries. What is
not known is that one third of the western shore of the Dead Sea
lies in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This part of the Dead
Sea is closed to the Palestinians by Israeli military occupation
and apartheid practices, while Israel uses the Dead Sea for
international tourism, mining and other business activities.
L’Oreal has
also awarded a $100,000 “lifetime achievement” award to a
scientist at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science in July
2008. The Weizmann Institute has been a major centre for
clandestine research and development of nuclear, chemical and
biological weapons on behalf of Israel’s military with which it
has close ties.
For these reasons, COMPLETE calls upon the consumers of
Malaysia and all over the world to boycott all products from
L’Oreal.
McDonald
McDonald’s
former chairman and CEO (1998-2002) Jack M. Greenberg was an
honorary director of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce and
Industry of Metropolitan Chicago.
According to
the Chicago Jewish Community Online (website of the Jewish
United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago), McDonald’s Corporation
whose global headquarters is based just outside Chicago is a
major corporate partner of the Jewish United Fund(JUF)/ Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. McDonald’s Corporation was
honoured during JUF centennial celebration in 2000 as a first
tier corporate partner to the cause of Zionism.
Through its
Israel Commission, the JUF “works to maintain American military,
economic and diplomatic support for Israel; monitors and,when
necessary, responds to counter negative media coverage of
Israel”.
The JUF runs
its “Partnership to Israel” program with its twinned Israeli
Lachish region, comprising the city of Kiryat Gat and the rural
areas of Lachish and Shafir. It provides financial aid annually
to help the development of Kiryat Gat and to promote further
illegal settlements there. This city is built on stolen
Palestinian land - the lands of the villages of Iraq al Manshiya
and Al-Faluja whose residents were ethnically cleansed in 1949
in contravention of International Law.
With all
these facts and evidence illustrating McDonald’s Corporation
unrelenting support to further consolidate the existence of
these illegal settlements and causing unabated oppression of the
Palestinians, COMPLETE has substantiated its demand to support
the boycott of McDonald’s.
We choose to
boycott as it keeps on the forefront of our mind the suffering
of the Palestinians and puts Palestine on top of our agenda.
Our aim is for the boycott to weaken those who oppress
Palestinians and make consumers aware of products which are
unethically produced. Employees should be made aware of the
facts regarding the companies they work for especially if these
companies contribute to the Zionists who cruelly oppress the
Palestinians and deprive them of their homeland.
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