Liberal Zionists support Scarlett Johansson– and settlements. Why?

[Magda Hassan]

Yep. She chose $$$$s over humanitarianism.

"Internal revolt" at Oxfam over Scarlett Johansson affair, insider says

Submitted by Ali Abunimah on Mon, 01/27/2014 - 22:42
Scarlett Johansson in a screenshot from an Oxfam fundraising video.



There is an "internal revolt" within Oxfam over the international charity's refusal to cut ties with Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson, an Oxfam insider has told The Electronic Intifada.
The dispute within the global charity is largely along transatlantic lines, with Oxfam America stamping on anything seen to be critical of Israel.
Johansson is one of Oxfam's "Global Ambassadors" but recently signed a deal with SodaStream, an Israeli firm with a factory in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank.
The insider, who is familiar with the organization's internal deliberations, asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to media.
The insider decided to speak out from a belief that Oxfam was suffering serious damage to its credibility by standing with Johansson.
"We do a lot of good work, but it is being overshadowed by all the negative publicity," the insider said.

"Thorniest issue"

The Johansson affair "has really brought out one of the thorniest issues within Oxfam," the insider said.
Although Oxfam has done a lot of lobbying both publicly and privately on the issue of Israeli settlements, it has faced intense resistance from Oxfam America.
Oxfam operates as an international federation with national affiliates including Oxfam America, Oxfam GB, Oxfam Belgium and, in The Netherlands, Oxfam Novib.

Fundraising fears

Unlike other national affiliates, "Oxfam America doesn't invest one cent in the Palestinian territories, or even Israel. They don't have any programs in the West Bank or Gaza," the insider explained.
"Yet they [Oxfam America] always claim that anything Oxfam says on Palestine or Israel affects their fundraising. They almost have veto power on what Oxfam does on Palestine," the insider added.
While these tensions have been present for some time, the Johansson episode has brought the "anger" to the surface within the organization, the insider said.
The insider noted that the situation became much worse after Matt Herrick, spokesperson for Oxfam America, told The New York Times' blog The Lede last week that Oxfam had not even asked Johansson to end her deal with SodaStream.
"There are a lot of good people at Oxfam who are really pissed off at what Johansson did and even more pissed off at Matt Herrick's comment," the insider said.
One unmistakable sign of the disarray at Oxfam came this morning when Oxfam GB tweeted, and then a short time later deleted, a statement on the controversy.

Hurting Palestinian partners

Now the insider fears that Oxfam's position could harm its programs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip which provide vital support to Palestinian communities.
"Oxfam has a lot of Palestinian partners and is one of the more respected international organizations working in Palestine," the insider said.
These fears could be right. It was revealed today that the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) has written to Oxfam calling on it to sever its ties to Johansson. PNGO includes virtually all of Oxfam's Palestinian partners.

on Twitter

Palestine's Boycott National Committee issued a public statement making the same demand today.
It remains to be seen whether the internal struggle will be resolved in favor of a principled stance and solidarity with Palestinians under occupation, or whether those more concerned with protecting Israel and Oxfam America's bottom line will ultimately prevail.

SodaStream (The Soda Club Group)(סודה סטרים (קבוצת סודה קלאב

Manufactures and distributes home carbonating devices and flavourings for soft drinks. The company is also the Israeli distributer of Brita (water filtering jugs).
The main plant of the company is located in the industrial zone of Mishor Edomim, which is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank.
To read the full report about SodaStream as a case study of settlement production click here.










Involvement:
Settlement Industry
Settlements' Products


Industry:
Manufacture of food products and beverages


Ownership:
SodaStream International is registered in the Netherlands and in Israel, and it holds subsidiaries worldwide.
The controlling shareholder of the group is Fortissimo Private equity fund, which owns about 32% of the shares.
CEO: Daniel Birenbaum.



Subsidiaries / Partners:
Trademarks: SodaStream[SUP]®[/SUP], Soda-Club[SUP]®[/SUP], AlcoJet[SUP]®[/SUP], Sprudelino[SUP]®[/SUP], Aquabar[SUP]®[/SUP], and Gazoz[SUP]®[/SUP]. Aquafizz[SUP]®[/SUP], Aquabubbler[SUP]®[/SUP], Penguin[SUP]®[/SUP], Sodamaker[SUP]®[/SUP]. Fountain Jet[SUP]®[/SUP], Edition1[SUP]®[/SUP]
Partnership: In February 2013, Samsung Electronics Co. has announced that it is producing a new refrigerator incorporating a Sodastream carbonated water dispenser.
The company's sole distributer in Japan is Synergy Trading Corporation



Location:
Israel
Occupied Territories


Global Presence:
South Africa
Australia
Japan
New Zealand
Philippines
South Korea
Taiwan
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Romania
Russia
Slovakia
Ukraine
Canada
USA
Colombia
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
UK


Settlements:
Edomim I.Z.


Traded in:
NASDAQ


Revenue:
$100M-$500M


General Info:
Main Offices:
Minervum 7334
4817 ZD Breda
The Netherlands
Tel: 31-76-5444222
Israeli Main Office:
Kiryat Sde Hat'ufa
Airport City I.Z.
Gilbo'a, Lod 70151
POB 280
Ben Gurion Airport 70151
Tel: 972-3-9762323

Mishor Edomim Plant:
50 Ha'ugda St.
POB 77
Mishor Edomim I.Z. 98510
Tel: 972-2-5900421
Websites: http://www.sodaclub.co.il, http://www.sodaclub.com



Updated:
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
http://www.whoprofits.org/company/sodast...club-group

Reports

Production in Settlements: The Case of SodaStream Mar 2011

Using SodaStream as a case study, a new report by Who Profits discusses key issues in industrial production in illegal West Bank settlements. SodaStream is a manufacturer of home beverage carbonating devices, whose main production site is in the West Bank Settlement of the Mishor Edomin Industrial Zone. The report provides an extensive overview, including the identity of the manufacturers, employment conditions, land confiscation and trade in settlement products.







The report shows how the success of SodaStream and other companies which produce in settlements is based, at least in part, on the structural advantages that these companies enjoy, such as tax incentives, lax enforcement of regulations, as well as additional governmental support. The report also exposes the manner in which the company conceals the fact that its products are manufactured in a West Bank settlement by using the Made in Israel label. The company, therefore misleads consumers to believe that its products are manufactured in Israel rather than in occupied land.
The business of SodaStream is growing rapidly. Its products are sold in 39 countries and can be found in retail stores like Macy's, Bed Bath and Beyond, Bloomingdale's, Coop, Carrefour and Migros. On November 8, 2010, the company has gone public and its shares are traded on NASDAQ. The SodaStream devices are especially popular in Sweden; the company has recently announced that it has sold more than 1 million devices there.
The report provides an unprecedented insight into the internal considerations of a settlement producer, weighing consumer boycotts and possible negative publicity against the economic benefits of operating from a settlement. By its own admission, SodaStream states that calls for boycott are indeed a "risk factor" and a cause for "rising political tensions and negative publicity". However, the company declares that moving its factory out of the settlement would require the expenditure of resources and, more importantly, "limit certain of the tax benefits for which we are currently eligible." These benefits stem from the fact that the Israeli government provides economic incentives, including tax deductions, for businesses operating in West Bank settlements.
http://www.whoprofits.org/content/produc...sodastream

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