RAMALLAH, January 15 (JMCC) - The British retailer John Lewis has stopped stocking products of the Israeli company Ahava after Palestinian activists threatened a boycott of the company.
Ahava is manufactured in a
settlement in the occupied
West Bank, opening it to charges of stealing Palestinian resources.
John Lewis’ Managing Director, Andy Street, wrote to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in a letter dated 7 January: ‘As a socially responsible retailer, John Lewis takes very seriously the treatment of workers and their working conditions. We expect all our suppliers not only to obey the law, but also to respect the rights, interests and well-being of their employees, their communities and the environment.’ He ended by stating: ‘In relation to your specific enquiry about Ahava Dead Sea products, I can confirm that John Lewis has ceased stocking these particular products’.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign celebrated the move as a victory for the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign being promoted by pro-Palestinian groups around the world.
In 2005, Palestinian civil society issued a call for international boycott, divestment and sanctions on
Israel. PSC launched its national boycott campaign in 2002, and holds regular protests outside Ahava’s store in Covent Garden, London.