UK company boycotts Israeli consumers

Israeli computer engineer discovers he cannot order scarf online from London-based Pashmina company because it has joined Muslim consumer boycott against IDF operation in Gaza
Tani Goldstein



Meiron Gestman, a computer engineer from Ramat Gan, discovered to his surprise on Monday that he could not purchase a scarf online from the London-based Pashmina company.



The reason for this was that the company which he wished to order from had joined a boycott against Israel due to the military operation in Gaza.



"I checked why they didn't charge my credit card, and they told me they were participating in a voluntary boycott on Israel due to "the horrors committed by the Israeli army," he said.



Behind the boycott is a British organization of Muslim consumers, who have imposed a boycott on Israel as well as all Jewish-owned American companies in protest against the fighting in Gaza and the US's support for Israel in the battle.



The boycott received a warm welcome by many British internet sites, especially those related to Islam, and reports have been published by British newspapers. However Pashmina stressed to Gestman that it was only boycotting Israel, not all Jews.



'Pashmina' is not the only British company to have joined the boycott. Last week 'FreedomCall', a telecom company based in the UK, terminated all communications with the Israeli MobileMax following the Gaza operation.



The British-Muslim websites recommend boycotting a number of large firms, most of which manufacture products in Israel and all of which sell their products in Israel.



Among these are AOL, Coca-Cola, Delta-Galilee, Estee Lauder, Johnson and Johnson, Marks and Spencer, Revlon, Starbucks, McDonalds, Danone, Disney, IBM, Kimberly, Nestle, Nokia, and Intel.