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BOYCOTT ISRAEL CAMPAIGN
COMPANY : L'OREAL

PRODUCTS & AFFILIATED COMPANIES:

Giorgio Armani Perfumes
Redken 5th Avenue NYC
Lancome Paris

Vichy

Cacharel  
La Roche-Posay
Garnier
Biotherm
Helena Rubinstein
Maybelline
Ralph Lauren Perfumes
Carson  
   

RESEARCH FINDINGS :

After being fined $1.4 million by the US in 1995 for writing a letter to the Arab League claiming that they had stopped production in Israel[4], they have been engaged in actively courting Israel with investments and large-scale commerce.

American Jewish Congress has expressed "keen satisfaction that L'Oreal has become a warm friend of Israel" [1]

L'Oreal has established Israel as its commercial center in the Middle East and has increased investment and manufacturing activities ranging from a new production line established in Migdal Haemek, to joint research and development projects with Israeli affiliates, as well as education and public service campaigns. [2]

In 1998 Mr. Pascal Castres St Martin of L' Oreal, received the Jubilee Award by the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. This is 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. [7]

 

ADDITIONAL INFO & REFs :

[1]

American Jewish Congress:

AJCONGRESS PRAISES L'OREAL'S SETTLEMENT WITH U.S. OVER FORMER PARTICIPATION IN ARAB BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL

http://www.shamash.org/listarchives/ajcreleases/log9508

"The American Jewish Congress is delighted that the international cosmetics firm, L'Oreal, has finally closed an old and unhappy chapter in its history by reaching an agreement with the Office of Anti-Boycott Compliance (OAC) of the U.S. Department of Commerce requiring it to pay $1.4 million to the U.S. Treasury as a result of its former participation in the Arab boycott of Israel. This is the second largest settlement reached by OAC with an offending firm.

"More important that any settlement, however, is the fact that L'Oreal, has begun to do large-scale business in Israel, and indeed, has even adopted the suggestion of AJCongress leadership to use Israel's well-trained laboratory technicians to test its product line.

"We also have high praise for OAC for its persistence and investigative skills in pursing this case. "The secondary Arab boycott of Western firms doing business with Israel is on its last legs. L'Oreal's change in policy, doubtless based upon both economic reasons and reasons of morality, clearly points out that doing business with Israel is good business. As a leader over many years in anti-boycott efforts, AJCongress expresses keen satisfaction that L'Oreal has become a warm friend of Israel and its people.

 

[2]

Anti-Defamation League (a zionist bully group) http://www.adl.org/presrele/IslME_62/2526_62.asp.


ADL WELCOMES U.S. ENFORCEMENT OF ANTI-BOYCOTT LAW; APPLAUDS L'OREAL'S EXPANDED BUSINESS WITH ISRAEL

Washington, D.C., August 29, 1995...The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which has taken a lead in countering the Arab boycott of Israel, welcomed the Commerce Department's consent agreement with L'Oreal, enforcing U.S. anti-boycott laws. At the same time, the League praised L'Oreal's commitment to conduct business in the region "without regard to unacceptable political pressure," as well as its stated opposition to the boycott. Allegations had been made that L'Oreal had corresponded with the Arab League in connection with the economic boycott of Israel.

"Now that the enforcement action is behind us we can focus on L'Oreal's growing commercial involvement in Israel. L'Oreal's direct investment and manufacturing in Israel are significant. Its active engagement in a host of new joint research and development projects reflects a serious commitment to broaden and sustain its business relationship with Israel," said ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman. "We encourage other companies to follow their lead in expanding international investment in Israel."

In a letter to ADL, L'Oreal Chairman Lindsay Owen-Jones expressed regret that L'Oreal had corresponded with the Arab boycott office in Damascus. "An international company like L'Oreal should have refused to place itself in such an unacceptable position," he wrote. Owen-Jones thanked the League for its support of L'Oreal's business and community service activities in Israel. "The forward-looking approach that you have taken is an encouragement to L'Oreal and other companies that are already involved in Israel to expand their involvement still further."

L'Oreal has established Israel as its commercial center in the Middle East and has increased investment and manufacturing activities ranging from a new production line established in Migdal Haemek, to joint research and development projects with Israeli affiliates, as well as education and public service campaigns.

 

[3]

Anti-boycott ruling

http://www.arentfox.com/quickGuide/businessLines/intllng/ ...
... intllngRelatedArticles/international_law/international_law1.html.

[4] Jerusalem Post, June 15, 1999

http://www.jpost.com/com/Archive/15.Jun.1999/Business/Article-5.html.

By ELI GRONER

JERUSALEM (June 15) - The new $10,000 scholarships that L'Oreal will be offering here annually stem from what company Vice President Francois Vachey describes as a "desire to do something to commemorate Israel's 50th birthday."

Vachey refers to L'Oreal's Migdal Ha'emek-based operation, Interbeauty (which employs close to 400), as the company's "Middle Eastern hub" and adds that he has "fallen in love" with the country. He sees his local employees as entrepreneurial, passionate, and very open-minded.

But according to some, L'Oreal has a checkered past highlighted by a surrender to the Arab boycott years ago. In 1994, two US congressmen and a couple of Jewish groups called for a boycott of L'Oreal because of the French company's "compliance with the Arab boycott of Israel."

The Washington Post reported at the time that in 1986, L'Oreal wrote to the Arab League's boycott office in Damascus that it had halted cosmetics production in Israel by its recently acquired Helena Rubinstein subsidiary, eliminated the company name worldwide, removed its long-standing directors, and "complied with all the regulations of the boycott of Israel."

To the rest of the world, L'Oreal insisted that it never complied with the Arab boycott and that it continued to sell cosmetics in Israel.

The tone of the company's letters to the Arab League was "not very nice," a L'Oreal official was quoted by the Post as saying, but the letters were "only an appearance. We have not discriminated against anybody."

In 1995, L'Oreal agreed to pay more than $1.4 million to settle US Commerce Department charges that it cooperated with the boycott.

"L'Oreal has been here for close to 20 years and L'Oreal never stopped marketing in Israel," he insists. "L'Oreal products were here long before those of most other major companies. In fact, we were one of the first major European companies to invest so heavily in Israel."

What about the US Justice Department's 1991 investigation into L'Oreal executive Jacques Correze? (Before the probe ended, Correze resigned and then died the same day. He had been undergoing cancer treatment.)

L'Oreal was unaware of this person's past and the Justice Department never even hinted that L'Oreal, as a company, was guilty in any way, shape, or form. This episode is contrary to our philosophy, which encourages multinational and religious coexistence. In fact, I would guess that approximately half of L'Oreal's board of directors is Jewish, but we never noticed that. I must emphasize that there has never been an antisemitic policy at L'Oreal.


[5] Jewish Bulletin

http://www.jewishsf.com/bk950901/usarab.htm.

L'Oreal fined $1.4 million for following Arab boycott

[6]

Israeli Embassy - List of United States Companies with Investments in Israel
http://www.israelemb.org/economic/uscompanies.htm

L'Oreal purchased 35.5% of israeli company Interbeauty (12/96) $9m

 

[7] Friends of Al-Aqsa

http://www.aqsa.org.uk/flyers/boycott.html

[source for Jubilee List - Islamic Human Rights Commision]

URL: http://www.inminds.com/boycott-l-oreal.html