The Lotus

Friends: there are literally billions of people in the world wishing they could help stop this ruthless masscre of Palestinian children. Few issues in the world have created as much collective outrage. The last time humanity was so ready to do something to stop a bloodthirsty apartheid regime like Israel was in the 80s when the global campaign to boycott South African Apartheid reached its peak.

Today we have a similar situation, and the world is calling for a boycott of Israel. I will not repeat all the arguments outlined in my earlier blog.  Instead, I have put together some of the useful information that could help you join in or to spread the word, if you wish to.

Let me be very clear: this is not about arguing the case. It is simply an information tool for those who want to join a boycott.

Some of the info is new but most of it was floating around in various places here or on the web, and I have simply tried to sort them into useful categories. Please do chip in with any additional info. The categories are:

1. Why boycott

2. Boycott Campaign Websites and Ideas

3. Petitions

4. Companies and Brands supporting Israel

5. Information on demonstrations and other forms of action

6. Global calls for boycott

7. Israeli & Jewish peace groups

1. Why boycott:  Naomi Klein: Enough. It's time for a boycott

2. Boycott Campaign Websites and Ideas

//www.bigcampaign.org/

The global BDS movement
//www.mylinkspage.com/israel.html#BOY
//www.inminds.com/boycott-israel.html

3. Petitions


American Petition Campaign

British Petition Campaign

The Network of Spiritual Progressives

4. Companies and Brands supporting Israel

Any product with ‘729’  as the first three digits of its barcode

Agriver/Flowersdirect
strawberries sold in Aldi, but also other berries, cut herbs, pomegranates, figs, peppers, passion fruit, plums, carrots, cut melons, cut mangos and many other products.

AOL Time Warner
Time Life magazine, CNN, ICQ

Apax Partners
Jonny Rockets, Sunglass Hut.

Beigel and Beigel
Sweets and Pretzels etc

Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Holdings

Carmel-Agrexco
Carmel, Coral and Jaffa

Coca-Cola
Fruitopia, Fanta, Kia Orange, Lilt, Sprite, Sunkist..

Caterpillar

Danone
HP foods, Evian, Volvic, Jacob

Dead Sea cosmetic and health products
(unless made in Jordan. Note: many Israeli Dead Sea products have the word ‘jordan’ in their name)

Delta Galil
Hema, Barbie, Carrefour, Auchan, Tchibo, Victoria's Secret, GAP, Banana Republic, Structure, J-Crew, JC Penny, Pryca, Lindex, DIM, DKNY, Ralph Lauren, Playtex, cK, Hugo Boss, M&S

Diamonds
Choose carefully! Diamond cutting is one of the biggest export earners for Israel.

Disney

El Al (Israel’s airline)

Emblaze

Estée Lauder
Aramis, Clinique, DKNY, Prescriptives, Origins, MAC, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Tommy Hilfiger, Jane, Donna Karan, Aveda, Stila, Jo Malone, Bumble & Bumble, Kate Spade

Home Depot
Villager's Hardware, Georgia Lighting, Apex Supply, EXPO Design Centres

IBM
Intel

Johnson & Johnson

Kimberly-Clark
Kleenex, Kotex, Huggies, Andrex

Lewis Trust Group
River Island, Isrotel hotels, Britannia Pacific

The Limited Inc
Express stores, Lerner New York, Structure, New York & Company, Mast Industries, Intimate Brands, Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, White Barn Candle Company, Henri Bendel

L'Oreal
Giorgio Armani, Redken 5th Avenue, Lancome Paris, Vichy, Cacharel, La Roche-Posay, Garnier, Biotherm, Helena Rubinstein, Maybelline, Ralph Lauren, Carson

Marks & Spencer

McDonald's

Motorola
Nestle
Nescafé, Perrier, Vittel, Pure Life, Carnation, Libby's, Milkmaid, Nesquik, Maggi, Buitoni, Cross & Blackwell, KitKat, Milkybar, Quality Street, Smarties, After Eight, Aero, Polo, Lion, Felix cat food, L'Oréal

News Corporation
TV: Fox, Sky, Star, Phoenix, Granada, CNBC. UK newspapers: Standard Newspaper, News of the World, The Sun, The Times. Australian Newspapers: The Telegraph , Gold Coast Bulletin, Herald Sun, Independent, Sunday Mail. US newspapers: New York Post. Publishers: Harper Collins Ragan, Zondervan, National Geographical. Nursery World, Rawkus, NDS, Mushroom Records, ChinaByte.com, Festival Records

Nokia
Radox
(part of Sara Lee group)

Revlon
New World Entertainment, Forbes

Sara Lee
Hanes, Playtex, Champion, Leggs, Douwe Egberts, Bryan, DIM, Ambi Pur, Bali, Superior Coffee, Just My Size, Kiwi, Maison Cafe, Nur die, Pilao, Lovable, Outer Banks, Wonderbra, Sanex, Pickwick, Gossard, Body Mist, Brylcreem, Aqua Velva, Radox

Siemens

Selfridges
Starbucks
Seattle Coffee, Pasqua, Hear Music, Tazo

Timberland
Tivall
Sainsbury's Meatfree Hot Dog Sausages and Vegetarian Sausages

Tomer
Organic Fruit and Veg sold in most Supermarkets

Volkswagen
(invests heavily in Israel)

Wines
Barkan Wines
Galil Wines
Palwin Wine
Carmel Wine
Tishbi
Binyamina

5. Information on demonstrations and other forms of peaceful action
USA:  Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER)

6. Global calls for a boycott:

UN General Assembly president calls for boycott of Israel

Time for South Africa to boycott apartheid Israel

Turkish sports fans and angered citizens took their fury over Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip to the basketball court

another basketball match never happened when the Greek team Larissa backed out of a game in Jerusalem this week.

AP reports thousands protest Gaza assault in Lebanon

Gaza prompts boycott in Malaysia

7. Israeli & Jewish peace groups:

Gush-Shalom

Jewish Peace Fellowship

B’tselem

Jews for Justice for Palestine

Remember the old saying: qat-re qat-re j'am gardad, vangahi darya shavad. (loosely translated: oceans are made up of tiny droplets of water)

This is totally doable because of our sheer numbers. It's a simple matter of altering shopping habits as much as we can and no more.