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UPDATE [21 Dec 2001]:
Illegal Products Removed
From an IHRC Press Release:
Selfridges withdraw
products made by illegal settlers
Selfridges today withdrew the sale of four products Achva Halva,
Ahava toiletries, Beigal and Beigal pretzels and Yarden wines all
made in the West Bank or Golan Heights regions. In a public
statement it was announced that,
“Selfridges has taken the decision to withdraw the four
products during the Christmas season in order to minimise disruption
to our customers caused by leafleting and picketing outside our
store. This decision will be reviewed in the New Year as
part of our normal product review process.”
The decision came after weeks of picketing and leafleting outside
the Oxford Street store by campaigners from the Islamic Human Rights
Commission and Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
A joint statement given by the Islamic Human Rights Commission’s
Massoud Shadjareh and Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s Diane
Langford said,
“We welcome Selfridges’ decision and hope the decision
is not a temporary one. Trading in these products is not only
morally unacceptable due to the fact they are produced by illegal
settlers in Occupied Palestine, but legally unlawful as they are
being labelled and sold as Israeli goods, therefore receiving
special tax concessions.
“Those who promote these products are financially strengthening
and supporting illegal settlements. We have called off the
planned picket for tomorrow, but will continue to monitor Selfridges
and other stores, as we believe these types of products should
not be sold in any high street store.”
UPDATE [22 Dec 2001]:
As reported in the Guardian the next day:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,623947,00.html
Selfridges bans
sale of goods from occupied territories
Nicholas Watt
Saturday December 22, 2001
The Guardian
Selfridges yesterday became the first big British department
store to withdraw from sale goods which are produced in the occupied
territories of the West Bank and the Golan Heights.
Bowing to pressure from Palestinian groups, the central London
store announced that it would no longer sell a range of beauty
and food products which are incorrectly marked as Israeli goods.
The action by Selfridges came after Palestinian groups picketed
the Oxford Street store last Saturday. Protesters handed out leaflets
pointing out that placing a "Made in Israel" label on
products from the West Bank, the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip
breaches EU excise and customs regulations. The international
community has never recognised Israel's annexation of the territories
in 1967 and 1973.
A Selfridges spokeswoman said last night that it had withdrawn
the goods to encourage the Palestinian groups to end their protest,
adding that the store was not making a political point. Insisting
that it was lawful to sell the products, the store said: "Selfridges
has taken the decision to withdraw the four products during the
Christmas season in order to minimise disruption to our customers
caused by leafleting and picketing outside our store. This decision
will be reviewed in the new year."
The products which have been withdrawn are Achva Halva sesame
seed sweets and Beigal and Beigal pretzels, made in the Barkan
Industrial Zone on the West Bank; Ahava toiletries, made in Mitspe
Shalem on the West Bank; and Yarden Wines from Katzrin on the
Golan Heights. The West Bank was annexed by Israel in 1967, while
the Golan Heights were annexed in 1967 and 1973.
The move will focus attention on the Palestinian campaign to
boycott goods from the occupied territories which are marked as
Israeli. The European commission is expected to register its anger
with Israel over the contentious goods by ending low tariffs for
such products.
UPDATE [27 Dec 2001]:
Zionist Bullying Starts
No sooner had the decision been taken, the zionists started their
bullying tactics. TotallyJewish reported a few days later:
Selfridges Axes
Israeli Goods
by Alison Swersky - Dec 27
The Israeli Embassy has accused leading department store Selfridges
of bowing to Palestinian pressure after it announced that products
made in the West Bank and the Golan Heights labelled 'Made In
Israel' would be taken off its shelves.
The famous London store, which has a large Jewish clientele,
announced that it would no longer sell the range of beauty and
food products that were marked as Israeli goods.
The move came after Palestinian protesters picketed the Oxford
Street outlet earlier this month, claiming that placing such a
label on products from the West Bank, Golan Heights and the Gaza
Strip is in breach of EU excise and customs regulations, which
have never recognised Israel’s annexation of the territories
in 1967 and 1973.
The action by Selfridges, believed to be the first major department
store to respond to the protests, was condemned by the Israeli
Embassy in London as “shameless capitulation to a political
campaign”. A spokesman said: “It is a source of high
concern that a brand held in such a high regard should so easily
cave in to a small bunch of misguided protesters.”
But a Selfridges spokesman insisted the decision was driven by
commercial considerations rather than politics, and claimed it
would be reviewed in the new year.
She said: “Selfridges has taken the decision to withdraw
the four products during the Christmas season in order to minimise
disruption to our customers caused by leafleting and picketing
outside the store.
“We are not taking sides. It is absolutely not a political
decision, it’s about protecting our customers from disruption
during the crucial Christmas trading period.”
The European Union warned Israel in 1998 that it was in breach
of EU trade agreements by labelling goods produced in Jewish settlements
in Israeli-occupied territories as 'Made In Israel.'
The following snippet from a news group shows the zionist bullying
in action:
A source within Selfridges confided that "all hell broke
loose" when the Zionist hit the store.
Phone lines were jammed and so were email accounts. Threats from
store card holders that they would cut there card up, others carried
out the threat and actually handed in cards cut in two!
The Israel embassy called demanding an explanation, and the biggest
blow was yet to come, now we hear MP's have joined the call against
Selfridges.
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