The latest occupation took place on the last day of The Russell Tribunal on Palestine, as well as the day after a poorly attended weekend Ahava “buycott” event, supported by both the Zionist Federation and the “Jewish Division” of the English Defence League (EDL).

Ahava has long been a key target for activists in the wake of the call for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against companies and organisations, both profiting from and complicit in Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. All of the products in Ahava, apart from tweezers made in China, are manufactured in the Israeli West Bank settlement of Mitzpe Shalem, which like all of the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, is illegal under international law.

No Palestinian benefits or receives compensation from Ahava for their products made with stolen natural resources that are manufactured in the Ahava factory which was also built on stolen land in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Ahava’s products are systematically mislabelled as originating in Israel, meaning that they benefit from generous tariff discounts under the terms of the EU-Israel Trade Agreement. Goods that originate or are manufactured in Israeli settlements are not eligible for this discount, meaning that Ahava is committing tax fraud and depriving the UK government of much needed revenue.

The continued profitability of companies, like Ahava, based in settlements serves to reinforce the infrastructure of occupation and the viability of existing and future settlements, endangering a just peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.

News of the occupation of the Ahava shop was publically announced on the last day of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine that took place in London this weekend. “The People’s Tribunal” heard evidence that detailed corporate complicity in Israel’s failure to abide by international laws and human rights abuses. Ahava was one company that was named as a company that is directly complicit in the occupation of Palestine. One person said “The evidence was heard, the accused (Ahava) was offered the opportunity to defend themselves (but didn’t) and now the sentence has been passed. Ahava is getting its just desserts”.

A Muslim member of the support team that accompanied the activists inside the shop was subject to a barrage of verbal abuse by an Ahava customer who shouted: “All Muslims are scum” and was the target of other racial epithets before the customer stormed out.

Police were present on the scene within minutes and a police vehicle was parked directly in front of the shop located at 39 Monmouth Street, possibly to discourage curious bystanders. During past occupations, there was a considerable outpouring of sympathy and support from the general public, many of whom staged an impromptu demonstration directly outside and offered to leaflet and hold banners and signs.

Americans Rae Abileah and Nancy Kricorian of CODEPINK’S “Stolen Beauty” campaign rushed over from the Russell Tribunal, where they both were testifying in the corporate complicity of Ahava of Israeli human rights abuses and its violations of international law, to observe the action and offer their support. Ms Abileah was one of the several activists from the Jewish Voice for Peace group who bravely interrupted Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in New Orleans on November 8th. You can view that action HERE.

Throughout the occupation, activists chanted, distributed literature and spoke to passersby who were generally supportive, as well as outraged that such a company is legally permitted to trade in the UK.

A police cutting team arrived at approximately 1:30pm and a larger section of the area around the shop was cordoned off by police citing “health & safety” reasons. However no concerns were raised by UK authorities over the “health & safety” of the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank or East Jerusalem.

At approx 2:30, the two activists were cheered by onlookers as they were escorted to a waiting police van and taken to a nearby police station. Afterwards, Ahava’s complicity in the illegal Israeli occupation was underlined even further by the crowd who chanted “Ahava, you can’t hide, we can see your dirty side”.

The shop was forced to cease trading for at approximately four hours which set the stage for a high profile public education campaign where campaigners engaged with a supportive public, distributed flyers and displayed a large banner.

In the past, Ahava management refused to attend UK legal proceedings, as doing so would have forced them to be questioned about their business in an open court of law – something they’d rather avoid. In August 2010, four activists who similarly locked themselves inside the shop had aggravated trespass charges dropped against them when the shop manager refused to testify in court, despite being subpoenaed – allegedly upon the instructions of her employer.

The next fortnightly Saturday demonstration will be held this coming Saturday at 12 noon on the 27 November with weekly demonstrations planned outside the shop all throughout December.