#BDS_Fail Golan Heights Winery sales up 20% in Europe
Despite being targeted by the BDS movement,
sales of Golan Heights Winery wines rose 20% in Europe last year.
"Despite the opposition and the attempts to boycott, that doesn't
interest the European consumers that are looking for quality wine.
There's a roughly 20% rise in sales in Europe; European customers don't
care about pro-Palestinian organizations opposing wine from the Golan
Heights," reported Harel.
...
Harel pointed out another trend, notably that customers are shifting
to higher quality wines: "there's a transition by consumers to quality
wines, even if the wine costs a little more money."
White wines can't be produced fast enough to keep up with the
consumption, indicating a great demand which is also shared by "brut"
sparkling wines, according to Harel.
"We at the Golan Heights Winery are preparing for the holiday of
Shavuot, when the focus is on white and bubbling wines," he beamed.
"Just now in time for the holiday we've come out with a rose wine
made from red Syrah grapes; the grape skin is soaked for a short amount
of time, causing the wine to be pink," related Harel. "We're always
short of white wines, and that's not because we produce less, but rather
because of the high customer demand."
...
Harel remarked that his winery recently introduced an exclusive
sparkling rose wine which is appropriate for unique events. "The demand
comes from consumers who are looking for something interesting and
prestigious," he said.
"Bubbling brut wine is another niche in the world of wines that we believe will develop in the coming years," concluded Harel.
The Golan Heights Winery is not the only one having to deal with the issue of European boycotts.
I wonder whether Scarlet Johansson would like to work for them too....
Labels: BDS, Golan Heights, Golan Winery, Scarlet Johansson
'Palestinian': 'I hate settlements but a job's a job'
Here's an interview with a 'Palestinian' who works at SodaStream. He claims to be opposed to Jewish 'settlements' in Judea and Samaria, but when the 'Palestinian Authority' tells him to quit his job at SodaStream because he's betraying his 'people' he tells them that he will if they can find him another job that pays three times the average wage for 'Palestinians' in the 'West Bank.' Of course, they can't, and he continues to work for SodaStream.
Let's go to the videotape.
SodaStream is
hardly the only Israeli company employing 'Palestinians' in Judea and Samaria.
All the hubbub obscured an important fact: SodaStream is hardly the only
business with a hearty business in occupied territory. The 500
Palestinian employees at the 220,000-square-foot Ma’ale Adumim plant,
which includes three manufacturing buildings and four warehouses, are a
fraction of the 20,000 Palestinians working at Israeli firms in Area C.
(The West Bank is divided into three zones, or areas. Area C, unlike
Areas A and B, is under full Israeli control and encompasses 61 percent
of the West Bank’s land mass. It is home to about 300,000 Palestinians,
according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs.) Other Palestinians at Israeli companies in Area C make things
like circuit boards, ceramic pipes, plastic bags, exfoliators, and fake
lawns. In the Mishor Adumim Industrial Park, where the SodaStream
factory is located, there are roughly 300 factories, most of which are
owned by Israelis. On top of all this are the Palestinian firms hired by
outside companies and scattered across the West Bank. Intel and Cisco
employ Palestinian programmers. Fanzilla, which helps clients up their
Facebook fan base, has Palestinian software developers. All of these
outfits — those with a presence in Area C and those that just outsource
to the wider West Bank labor market — benefit from the depressed wages
made possible by, among other things, Israeli occupation.
It's doubtful that 'Israeli occupation' is behind low wages for 'Palestinians' in Judea and Samaria. Wages for 'Palestinians' in Judea and Samaria are much higher than they are anyplace else in the Arab world. That's thanks to Israel - and not to the 'Palestinian Authority.'
The Palestinian Authority has done little to boost growth. It is deeply
corrupt; in December, the European Court of Auditors reported that the
PA had been using European funds to pay Gaza workers who had not worked
for seven years, prompting the EU to rethink its aid policy. Palestinian
officials also oppose Israeli investment in the West Bank, said Arye
Hillman, an economist at Bar-Ilan University who has studied labor
markets in Israel and the West Bank.
The 'Palestinians' who work at SodaStream are lucky.
The Palestinian Authority may eventually change its tack. In 2013, the
West Bank’s unemployment rate was just over 22 percent. There are not
enough new businesses to create the hundreds of thousands of jobs that
are needed to reduce that figure. The bottom line is that taking a
principled stand against SodaStream is not only arbitrary and probably
pointless — it also ignores the plight of the Palestinians who work
there. Rivlin, the economist, said that he opposes the settlements but
that it would be a bad idea for SodaStream, or any other Israeli firm in
the West Bank, to pull out right now. This neatly reflects the tension
at the heart of the factory’s very existence — the unavoidable sense
that things are not as they should be, and the equally powerful sense
that there are no viable alternatives.
Read the whole thing.
Bottom line: Israel is giving these 'Palestinians' an opportunity they would not otherwise have.
Labels: BDS, Judea and Samaria, Palestinian Authority, Scarlet Johansson, SodaStream
BDS is anti-Semitism
Robert Fulford uses a Vanity Fair interview with Scarlett Johansson to show that
the BDS'ers are anti-Semites.
My own belief is that the BDS people and their fellow travellers,
whatever their background, are anti-Semites. They do all they can to
stigmatize the Jewish state and reduce its ability to defend itself.
They know that Israel is surrounded by neighbours who will never
recognize its existence, much less sign a treaty developed in a “peace
process” quarterbacked by Washington. The Palestinians and the Arab
states who claim to support them are not hoping for a more generous
Israel or a BDS-approved Israel or an Israel willing to hand over the
West Bank. They are working for a day when Israel will be gone forever.
In order to satisfy this generation’s anti-Semites, Israel must meet
standards that no other country in the world has ever met or ever will.
At the United Nations Israel is condemned more often than all other
countries combined.
It is, of course, an imperfect democracy, like Canada and all other
free countries, and its human rights record could certainly be improved.
But its treatment of Palestinians has never been even remotely
comparable to China’s oppression of Tibetans or Saudi Arabia’s treatment
of women, two among many outrageous practices that apparently never
trouble the students who direct their anger at Israel.
In devising their purposes the BDS campaigners have never shown even
the beginning of a sense of proportion. It’s remarkable that the world
needs a 29-year-old movie star to point this out.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: BDS, Scarlet Johansson
NGO report ties Oxfam to designated terror organization
A newly-released report by Shurat HaDin, an Israeli non-governmental organization (NGO), accuses Oxfam, a British NGO that is supported by a number of sovereign governments around the world, of having ties with the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which has been designated a terror organization in the United States, Britain and the European Union. Oxfam loudly
fired actress Scarlett Johansson as their spokesperson in January after Johansson took a position as spokesperson for SodaStream, an Israeli company that maintains a factory in Maaleh Adumim, which is in Judea.
For both political and propaganda reasons,
many terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas have
operated social service branches since their inception. The
PFLP has done the same for decades.
Oxfam has strong connections to two of these organizations:
The Union of Health Workers Committees (UHWC), which
provides medical services; and the Union of Agricultural
Workers Committees (UAWC), which deals with land ownership and agricultural issues. The UHWC and the UAWC deny
any connections to the PFLP. In the past, however, both have
acknowledged that they were founded as part of the PFLP and
share personnel with the terrorist group. There is, we believe,
conclusive evidence that they remain branches of their parent
organization, despite attempts to conceal these ties.
Oxfam’s connections to UHWC and UAWC have been publicly
acknowledged by the NGO. Oxfam has described both groups
as “partners” in its activities in both Gaza and the West Bank,
and proudly stated that Oxfam works “very closely” with them.
This closeness was recently reaffirmed by the signing of a new
agreement under which Oxfam pledged to continue funding
the UHWC. Oxfam has also issued many press releases and
calls for action that endorse both groups and even solicit
publicity for them.
A press release issued in 2008, for example, cited “Al-Awda
hospital in Jabaliya, run by
Oxfam’s partner,
the Union of
Health
Work Committees” (emphasis ours). More recently, a 2012
“media
advisory” regarding health issues in Gaza stated, “Oxfam’s
partner
UAWC is working to get emergency assistance to
those most at
risk. UAWC is available for interviews in English” (emphasis ours).
...
The group acknowledges 17 individual branches, coordinated
by the organization’s International Secretariat. Its branches
“are based in: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany,
Great Britain, Hong Kong, Ireland, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Quebec, Spain and the United
States” as well as “advocacy offices” in “Brussels, Geneva, New
York, Washington DC and Brasilia.”
Since 1942, Oxfam has risen from a small, single-issue
organization to one of the largest, wealthiest, and most
influential NGOs in the world. According to its
2013 annual
report
, Oxfam enjoyed revenues last year of almost a
billion
Euros, the lion’s share of which comes from “institutional
fundraising,” the UN, the EU, and other governments. Although
it bills itself as a charity and often requests personal donations
,
only 40 percent of its revenue comes from “public fundraising.”
...
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian nationalist organization based on communist ideology.
It has engaged in terrorism since its inception. Formed in 1967
following the Six Day War, it quickly became one of the largest
parties in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and
has attracted both violently militant terrorists and a strong
intellectual following among both Arabs and the European
extreme Left. Throughout its history, it has consistently
rejected Israel’s right to exist and advocated its replacement
with an Arab state. Although it has sporadically supported negotiations with Israel, it
currently opposes talks or a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians.
Read the whole thing.
I'm shocked.... Just totally shocked.... (NOT).
By the way, I had forgotten, but Scarlett Johansson was not the first spokesperson fired by Oxfam for ties to a company in Israel. That honor goes to
Sex in the City's
Kirstin Davis.
And the picture at the top of this post? It's an Oxfam billboard from the baggage claim area at Reagan National Airport in Washington DC. Haven't been there recently, but a friend snapped the picture last week.
Labels: Ahava cosmetics, designated terror organization, Oxfam, PFLP-GC, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Scarlet Johansson, Shurat HaDin, SodaStream
Scarlet Johansson doesn't regret choosing SodaStream over Oxfam
After being badgered by their interviewer, Actress Scarlet Johansson has told Britain's Sunday Observer she has
no regrets about choosing SodaStream over Oxfam.
When I Google "Scarlett Johansson" the fizzy-drinks maker is the
third predictive search suggestion in the list, after "Scarlett
Johansson hot" – before even "Scarlett Johansson bum". A month ago,
Johansson found herself caught up in a raging news story when it emerged
Oxfam
had written to her regarding her decision to become a brand ambassador
for SodaStream. The company, it transpired, manufactures its products in
a factory in a settlement on the West Bank, and while "Oxfam respects
the independence of our ambassadors," it wrote, it also "believes that
businesses that operate in settlements further the ongoing poverty and
denial of rights of the Palestinian communities that we work to
support".
Johansson responded by stepping down from her Oxfam
role. From afar, it looked liked she'd received very poor advice; that
someone who is paid good money to protect her interests hadn't done the
necessary research before she'd accepted the role and that she'd
unwittingly inserted herself into the world's most intractable
geopolitical conflict. By the time Oxfam raised the issue, she was going
to get flak if she did step down, flak if she didn't. Was the whole
thing just a bit of a mistake?
But she shakes her head. "No, I stand behind that decision. I was
aware of that particular factory before I signed it." Really? "Yes, and…
it still doesn't seem like a problem. Until someone has a solution to
the closing of that factory to leaving all those people destitute, that
doesn't seem like the solution to the problem."
But the
international community says that the settlements are illegal and
shouldn't be there. "I think that's something that's very easily
debatable. In that case, I was literally plunged into a conversation
that's way grander and larger than this one particular issue. And
there's no right side or wrong side leaning on this issue."
Except,
there's a lot of unanimity, actually, I say, about the settlements on
the West Bank. "I think in the UK there is," she says. "That's one thing
I've realised… I'm coming into this as someone who sees that factory as
a model for some sort of movement forward in a seemingly impossible
situation."
Well, not just the UK. There's also the small matter
of the UN security council, the UN general assembly, the International
Committee of the Red Cross, the International Court of Justice… which
all agree that they're in contravention of international law. Half of me
admires Johansson for sticking to her guns – her mother is Jewish and
she obviously has strong opinions about Israel and its policies. Half of
me thinks she's hopelessly naive. Or, most likely, poorly advised. Of
all the conflicts in all the world to plant yourself in the middle of…
"When
I say a mistake," I say, "I mean partly because people saw you making a
choice between Oxfam – a charity that is out to alleviate global
poverty – and accepting a lot of money to advertise a product for a
commercial company. For a lot of people, that's like making a choice
between charity – good – and lots of money – greed."
"Sure I think
that's the way you can look at it. But I also think for a
non-governmental organisation to be supporting something that's
supporting a political cause… there's something that feels not right
about that to me. There's plenty of evidence that Oxfam does support and
has funded a BDS [boycott, divest, sanctions] movement in the past.
It's something that can't really be denied." When I contacted Oxfam, it
denied this.
Good for you, girl!
Labels: BDS, Oxfam, Scarlet Johansson, SodaStream
Stock may be slumping but you would never know it from the stores
Their stock may be '
slumping' because of all the BDS flack, but you would never know it from the stores. Last night, I was in Bed Bath & Beyond and there was a huge corner of the store filled with SodaStream products. Someone must be buying it to make it worthwhile to dedicate all that space.
SodaStream, under fire for operating a factory in the West Bank, has
seen its stock drop to the lowest level in more than a year.
The Israeli company’s stock price on the New York Stock Exchange fell 3.3 percent on Monday to $35.34.
On Jan. 13, the share price dropped 26 percent after the manufacturer of
home soda-makers failed to meet projected earnings for 2013, according
to Bloomberg. It was also the first day of trading after the company
signed actress Scarlett Johannson as its first global ambassador.
Sorry, but this has nothing to do with Johansson and everything to do with missing projections.
Labels: BDS, Scarlet Johansson, SodaStream
Michael Coren blastS Oxfam on Scarlett Johansson, SodaStream, and Oxfam
Here's a comment from Michael Coren on the entire Scarlett Johansson - SodaStream - Oxfam situation.
Let's go to the videotape (Hat Tip:
Tundra Tabloids via
Ellen S).
Labels: BDS, Oxfam, Scarlet Johansson, SodaStream
SodaStream accuses Oxfam of funding BDS
The Super Bowl may be over, but the battle between Israeli advertiser SodaStream and the Oxfam NGO is far from it. On Sunday, SodaStream's CEO accused Oxfam - based on data from NGO Monitor - of
funding the anti-Israel BDS (boycott, divest, sanction) movement.
“Unsurprisingly, Oxfam has joined the BDS in this movement [to close
down the West Bank factory],” SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum said. “I’m
saying ‘unsurprisingly’ because we found out that some of the Oxfam
branches have been donating funds to the BDS, and this money is used to
demonize and attack Israel.”
...
Birnbaum spoke out Sunday against Oxfam after the Israeli nonprofit
group NGO Monitor posted information on its website claiming that in
2013, the charity’s Dutch affiliate Oxfam Novib had transferred NIS
406,300 to the Coalition of Women for Peace, which was involved in the
BDS campaign against Israel.
Oxfam claims that they 'only support' BDS - they don't fund it. However they don't deny that their Dutch affiliate funds the Coalition of Women for 'peace' which is a participant in the BDS campaign.
Oxfam immediately responded, denying the claim.
“We do not support BDS. We do not fund BDS,” Oxfam
International’s head of media Matt Grainger said, though “we do fund
lots of civil society organizations and lots of Palestinian civil
society organizations.”
Yeah.... Right....
Three words: Money is fungible, and if you give money to an organization whose raison d'etre is to promote BDS, you're supporting and funding BDS.
Labels: BDS, NGO Monitor, Oxfam, Scarlet Johansson, SodaStream
#BDS_Fail Haaretz loses it
Yes, Haaretz, Israel's Hebrew 'Palestinian' daily, really did tweet this:
For the record, the 'Palestinians' in the picture are NOT caged in. They are in line at a checkpoint to cross the green line into pre-1967 Israel - probably to work.
And yes, I downloaded the picture in case they try to deny it.
Labels: BDS, Israel's Hebrew Palestinian daily, Scarlet Johansson, SodaStream, Super Bowl XLVIII
#BDS_Fail Thank you Scarlett!
Scarlett
Johansson stood up for Israel and peace against hate and lies. Now,
it's time to stand up for her. SHARE this Thank You graphic -- and SEND
HER a personal "Thank You at www.theisraelproject.org/thank-you-scarlett.Labels: BDS, Scarlet Johansson, SodaStream
Video: Canadian Employment Minister Jason Kenney thanks the nutters at Oxfam, he's buying a SodaStream!
Canadian Employment Minister Jason Kenney says he's going to buy a SodaStream machine. And he has lots more to say about his trip to Israel.
Let's go to the videotape (Hat Tip:
Jack W).
Labels: Canada, Jason Kenney, Scarlet Johansson, SodaStream, Stephen Harper
Scarlett Johansson chooses SodaStream over Oxfam
Oxfam may regret their anti-Semitism some day. Scarlett Johansson is
resigning from her position as Oxfam's spokesperson due to their objections that she represents SodaStream.
Johansson stepped down after the charity had expressed its disapproval of the actress's new role as spokesperson for SodaStream.
"Oxfam
has accepted Scarlett Johansson’s decision to step down after eight
years as a Global Ambassador and we are grateful for her many
contributions," a statement on the Oxfam International website said.
"While
Oxfam respects the independence of our ambassadors, Ms Johansson’s role
promoting the company SodaStream is incompatible with her role as an
Oxfam Global Ambassador."
Johansson responded to pressure from Oxfam in a statement released to The Huffington Post on Sunday.
“While
I never intended on being the face of any social or political movement,
distinction, separation or stance as part of my affiliation with
SodaStream, given the amount of noise surrounding that decision, I’d
like to clear the air,” she said.
”I remain a supporter of
economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel
and Palestine. SodaStream is a company that is not only committed to the
environment but to building a bridge to peace between Israel and
Palestine, supporting neighbors working alongside each other, receiving
equal pay, equal benefits and equal rights. That is what is happening in
their Ma’aleh Adumim factory every working day.”
Oxfam has previously stated its staunch opposition to all trade with
Israeli settlements, which it considers illegal under international law.
Now, if only all those Jews who claim that they support Israel would stop donating money to Oxfam.....
Labels: BDS, Scarlet Johansson, SodaStream
A message from Scarlet Johansson
It's been a crazy day.... Heh..... (Hat Tip:
Shy Guy).
Labels: BDS, Scarlet Johansson
Fox turns down SodaStream Super Bowl ad with Scarlet Johansson
Fox News has turned down a SodaStream Super Bowl ad featuring Scarlet Johansson... because it mentions competitors Pepsi and Coke.
Let's go to the videotape.
So what's the problem with mentioning
Coke and Pepsi?
SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum accused Fox of rejecting the commercial
"because they're afraid of Coke and Pepsi," USA Today reported.
Nevertheless,
the commercial is likely to be aired, because Birnbaum said he had
little choice but to cut the offending line. "If I could get my money
back, I'd be happy to be out of that deal," he added.
"What are
they afraid of?" asked Birnbaum. "Which advertiser in America doesn't
mention a competitor? This is the kind of stuff that happens in China.
I'm disappointed as an American."
The two soft-drink giants,
longtime spenders on Super Bowl ads, are back in the game this year, and
Pepsi also is sponsoring the halftime show.
Fox executives
declined to comment. So did executives from PepsiCo. Coca-Cola
spokeswoman Lauren Thompson said: "I can confirm we did not pressure
Fox. Other than that, we don't comment on our competitors' efforts."
SodaStream had the same problem last year.
Labels: BDS, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Scarlet Johansson, SodaStream, Super Bowl XLVIII
Nerves of steel and drop dead gorgeous
Actress Scarlet Johansson is standing up to the BDS'ers, saying that
she will not withdraw from her role as spokesperson for Maaleh Adumim-based SodaStream.
Johansson made clear in a statement released on Friday to The Huffington Post that she will not pull out of the endorsement deal.
The statement said the 29-year-old actress "never intended on being
the face of any social or political movement, distinction, separation or
stance" as part of her affiliation with SodaStream.
The company recently signed Johansson as its first "global brand ambassador" and she is to appear in a television ad during the Super Bowl on February 2.
SodaStream manufactures and distributes machines for home use to make
carbonated drinks, eliminating the need to buy environmentally harmful
plastic bottles. The company has become wildly successful, launching
Israeli ingenuity into the public eye for its environmentally-friendly
and frugal approach to the beloved beverage.
...
"I remain a supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction
between a democratic Israel and Palestine," said Johansson, according to
AP.
"SodaStream is a company that is not only committed to the
environment but to building a bridge to peace between Israel and
Palestine, supporting neighbors working alongside each other, receiving
equal pay, equal benefits and equal rights," she added.
You go good girl!
Labels: BDS, Scarlet Johansson, SodaStream, Super Bowl XLVIII
