May 28, 2010

On May 18, 2010, as a result of the campaign launched by Stop Agrexco Italy, a coalition encompassing more than 50 national and local associations, trade unions and political parties, two major Italian supermarket chains, COOP and Conad, announced the suspension of sales of products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. These products are primarily marketed by the Israeli company Agrexco, which acknowledged during a court case in England in November 2006 that 70% of all agricultural products from the settlements are distributed in Europe under their brand Carmel. The decision by COOP and Conad was made in respect of international law and the right of consumers to choose not to buy goods produced illegally. In fact,

• The Israeli settlements have been repeatedly declared illegal in UN Security Council Resolutions No. 446, 452 and 465, 471 and 476;
• The exploitation of natural resources of a people under occupation , as practiced by Agrexco and other Israeli companies that profit from the situation, is a war crime according to the Fourth Geneva Convention, Part III, Art. 49: August 12, 1949;
• On February 25, 2010, the European Court of Justice ruled categorically that these products cannot benefit from the trade and cooperation agreement between Europe and Israel signed in 1995, which allows Israel to export its products to Europe under reduced tariffs;
• Article 2 of the EEC-Israel agreement provides that preferential tariffs will be terminated in the case of clear human rights violations, such as those carried out by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people through the unlawful confiscation of land for the construction of Israeli settlements and the segregation Wall, condemned by the International Court of Justice in The Hague in 2004.

This decision by COOP and Conad set off a vast media and political campaign in Italy with vile accusations of racism and anti-Semitism aimed at discrediting the indisputable motives at the basis of the measures adopted by these companies.

It is sad and offensive to see labels of racism and anti-Semitism used against an initiative promoted under the framework of the campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel launched by Palestinian civil society as a legitimate strategy of peaceful resistance to illegal occupation, endorsed by associations throughout the world committed to working for human rights and upholding international law.

Israeli civil society organizations such as Gush Shalom and ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions) have responded to these allegations, confirming their support, along with tens of thousands of Israeli citizens, for the boycott of settlement products as a response to Israeli policies. ICAHD said in a statement:

"We utterly reject the charge that BDS actions are in any way 'anti-Israel.' BDS is not a campaign of punishment; it does not seek to demonize its target. Rather, it a campaign that merely calls for accountability under the very standards adopted by the international community."

Regrettably, there was no coverage of these positions by the Italian media and no opportunities were given to representatives of the Stop Agrexco to explain to the Italian public the unquestionable rationale driving the coalition's work towards its goal.

It is our hope that COOP and Conad do not yield to political and media pressure, and instead stand by their decisions based on legality and transparency in order to respond to demands of customers and coop members guided by their conscious in a desire to prevent violence and injustice in the world through their choices as consumers, despite attempts by powerful lobbies to discredit their work.

It is our intention to request specifics from COOP and Conad regarding how they plan to proceed to ensure legality and transparency in product traceability, especially considering the difficulty in ascertaining the actual origin of goods, due in part to unclear policies by the companies involved (false labeling, triangulation, etc.), as well as what measures they intend to implement in order to achieve a clear distinction between the products "Made in Israel" and those produced in the settlements.

It will be our responsibility to monitor the effective implementation of these commitments and report any failings.

Finally, we reiterate our unequivocal commitment to the boycott of all Agrexco products, a company that profits from the illegal occupation of lands stolen by force from the legitimate owners, as documented by the photographs available at this website: www.corporateoccupation.wordpress.com

Contact:
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