Another sign that the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions movement is biting.
A few weeks back Code Pink announced a boycott of beauty products made by Ahava in the occupied West Bank: "Stolen Beauty." Code Pink targeted an Ahava endorser Kristin Davis (left). Now several news organizations report that Oxfam International has dropped/suspended Davis, a star of Sex in the City, as a spokeswoman because she serves Ahava.
Code Pink’s Nancy Kricorian announced the "Stolen Beauty" boycott campaign in the spring:
Mitzpe Shalem, built on occupied land in 1970, is an illegal settlement, as are all Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Ahava’s capture of Palestinian natural resources from the Dead Sea is, according to the Fourth Geneva Convention, a patently illegal use by an occupying power of stolen resources for its own profit. To add insult to injury, Ahava’s labels claim that the country of origin of its products is “The Dead Sea, Israel”—this type of labeling has been decried by Oxfam, among other human rights groups, as blatantly misleading.
You may recall that when the Israeli consulate had a "beach party" for Israel in Central Park a few weeks back, dragging in truckloads of sand, Code Pink protesters showed up in bikinis with Ahava scrawled on their tummies with mud. Says the New York Post:
"This has been a huge thing," one source told us. "Ahava has factories on disputed land. From Ahava’s perspective, they are not doing anything wrong. From an Oxfam perspective, Ahava is a polarizing company and Kristin shouldn’t be involved with it."
JTA sniggers that Oxfam’s honorary president is Mary Robinson, the former Irish president and friend to the Palestinians whose receipt of a Presidential Medal of Honor has the lobby’s knickers in a twist. JTA seeks to blunt the BDS moment by saying it’s "a safe bet that Kristen Davis has nothing to do with where Ahava cosmetics are produced."
Amazing how much denial there is in our country about a simple issue: illegal colonization. Hopefully, Davis will now sever her relationship with the cosmetics-maker, regain her platform with Oxfam, and further politicize the dispossession of Palestinians.
“Amazing how much denial there is in our country about a simple issue: illegal colonization. ”
Perhaps it has something to do with occupation never being mentioned in the “major media.” It is called a “conflict,” just like the entry of America into Vietnam, it was called America is “involved.” Plus the other ridiculous smoke screens like the Palestinians are just racists, or it is an ancient animosity, or it is mystical and extremely “complicated” issue (very difficult to understand, etc.).
Hitler studied the genocide in the land of the brave and the home of the free, got a lot of ideas for what he was going to do. The Israelis studied carefully what was done to the original people of the Americas, especially what was done in what is now the USA. All murderous settler states exchange notes, assist each other – especially today, because if Israel in its activity is halted than it is just a short jog back to answer for their atrocities. Even when Israel suffers a setback it brings a tear to their eye, it is like watching their child fail.
The seriousness of the issue is clouded, because what is really taking place, definitively, is genocide. We had a time when we could have significantly contributed and stopped this process all over the world, but decided to turn it into some sort of Holocaust hegemony as an excuse for murderous colonization – smothering the suffering of others under a brutal occupation (Palestinians). It had a side benefit, it was sort of cynical agreement – as long as no one goose steps it is not genocide, and with that other processes were given the green flag so that Western hegemony could commit atrocities all over the world, because it was not really a series of genocides. At the same time it excuses the process in the “holy land.” We supported the “big difference” in scholastic and are about to make our 5 millionth movie in popular media about the Holocaust.
So, it is just a conflict, and it is not so bad – at least not a genocide. However what is being done in the occupation to the Palestinians bears an eerie resemblance to genocides original definition of genocide coined by Lemkin, before it was watered down so as not to offend or bring to justice others committing similar atrocities –
“Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. The objectives of such a plan would be disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of the personal security, liberty, health, dignity, and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups. Genocide is directed against the national group as an entity, and the actions involved are directed against individuals, not in their individual capacity, but as members of the national group.” Raphael Lemkin Axis Rule in Occupied Europe: Laws of Occupation – Analysis of Government – Proposals for Redress
The Israelis like to insist that there is no such thing as a Palestinian nationality, that before the Zionists showed up in Palestine there were only random Arabs.
What they don’t grasp is that Zionism itself is responsible as much as anything for the birth of the Palestinian nationality. Groups form as a result of pressure from the outside, from threats against them as a group.
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Amazing how much denial there is in our country about a simple issue: illegal colonization.
Yes, but it’s actually colonization or even better racist settler colonialism which is the simple issue. It would not be one whit more acceptable if it was ‘legal’, which is what it’s supporters hope to achieve in the end. Focus on the bigotry, not the question of legality.
The BDS movement is making some headway! I’ve been in I/P for the past month and have seen Kristin Davis’ face on Ahava ads everywhere. She clearly has no understanding about the I/P Palestine conflict. Ahava waved 1.5 million dollars in front of her face, she giggled with glee and took it. Why spend time learning about the criminal activity of a company that is giving you money? Ignorance is bliss in the American Versaille culture. Kudos to Code Pink for making this happen.
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