Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Israel is in the spotlight of world citizens because of its conflict with the Hamas group.

Based on the latest data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health as of Monday (16/10/2023), as many as 2,670 Palestinians were killed as a result of air attacks and bombardment from Israel. In addition, around 9,600 Palestinians were injured. Reportedly, most of the Palestinian victims were children and women.

This also makes most of the world’s people angry. As a result, the popularity of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is increasing in several countries.

BDS is a consumer boycott (rejection) movement to convince traders around the world to stop selling products from Israel. BDS also aims to put economic pressure on Israel to grant equal rights to Palestinians. Generally, the BDS movement includes companies that involve illegal settlements, exploit the natural resources of Palestinian land, and use Palestinians as cheap labor.

So, what Israeli products are being boycotted through the BDS movement?

1. Puma

Puma is one of the world’s leading sportswear manufacturers. However, Puma was boycotted by a number of people around the world because it was the sole international sponsor of the Israeli Football Association (IFA).

“Puma provides international legitimacy to IFA activities, one of which is a football club based in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land,” wrote the BDS Movement.

“Puma’s support for the IFA directly supports off-the-field violations of human rights and international law, and allows the Israeli settlement regime to continue to thrive,” continued the BDS Movement.

2. HP

Photo: REUTERS/Stephen Lam FILE PHOTO: A Hewlett-Packard logo is seen at the company’s Executive Briefing Center in Palo Alto, California January 16, 2013. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/File Photo GLOBAL BUSINESS WEEK AHEAD – SEARCH GLOBAL BUSINESS 19 FEB FOR ALL IMAGES

According to the BDS Movement, HP brand companies provide and operate technology used by Israel to maintain a system of apartheid, occupation, and settlement colonialism over the Palestinian people.

“In addition to providing services and technology to the Israeli army and police guarding Israel’s illegal occupation and siege of Gaza, HP also provides exclusive Itanium servers to the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority for their Aviv system,” wrote the BDS Movement, quoted Tuesday (17/10/2023 ).

3. Siemens

Photo: REUTERS/Michael Dalder People pass Siemens flags ahead of the company’s annual shareholders meeting in Munich, Germany, January 31, 2018. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

Siemens is claimed to be involved in illegal Israeli efforts to build the EuroAsia Interconnector in settlements.

The EuroAsia Interconnector is planned to connect Israel’s electricity network with Europe. Reportedly, illegal settlements on Palestinian land will be stolen to benefit from the electricity trade between Israel and the European Union produced from fossil gas.

4. AXA

Photo: REUTERS/Christian Hartmann FILE PHOTO: Logos of France’s biggest insurer Axa are seen on a building in Nanterre, near Paris, France, March 8, 2016. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo

AXA Insurance is said to invest in Israeli banks that intervene in Palestinian land. Meanwhile, the Israeli banks whose shares are controlled by AXA are Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi and Mizrahi Tehafot.

Through its subsidiary, AXA Investment Managers and a 64 percent share ownership in AXA Equitable Holdings, AXA also has investments in five major Israeli banks, namely Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, First International Bank of Israel, Israel Discount Bank, and Mizrahi Tefahot Bank.

5. Israeli Fruits and Vegetables

Fruit, vegetables and wine from Israel are often labeled as “Produced in Israel” because they are thought to come from confiscated Palestinian land. Therefore, the BDS movement encourages people around the world not to consume fruits and vegetables from Israel.

“Boycott all products from Israel in your supermarkets and demand that they be removed from supermarket shelves,” wrote the BDS Movement

6. SodaStream

SodaStream is a refillable machine and cylinder that allows users to make their own soda or carbonated water drinks at home.

SodaStream became a victim of the boycott because it was considered to be actively participating in Israel’s policy of displacing indigenous Palestinian Bedouin residents in the Naqab.

“SodaStream has a long history of mistreatment and discrimination against Palestinian workers,” said the BDS Movement.

7. Ahava

Ahava is a beauty product brand that is sold in a number of countries. According to BDS Movement records, Ahava Cosmetics has a production site, drop-in center and flagship store in an illegal Israeli settlement.

8. Sabra

Hummus Sabra is a joint venture between PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, an Israeli food company that provides financial support to the Israeli army and is also the target of boycotts by the world community.

According to an Al Jazeera report in 2018, in recent times Israel’s diplomatic priority mission has been tackling BDS. In fact, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has moved to ban groups that support the BDS movement.

So, has the BDS movement succeeded in causing Israel’s economy to decline?

A non-profit organization based in Washington, United States (US), Brookings Institution, stated that the BDS movement would not drastically affect Israel’s economy. This is because around 40 percent of Israel’s exports are “intermediate” goods or hidden products used in the production process of goods elsewhere, such as semiconductors.

Additionally, about 50 percent of Israel’s exports are “differentiation” or non-substitutable goods such as specialized computer chips.

However, data from the World Bank shows that exports of “intermediate” goods experienced a sharp decline from 2014 to 2016, resulting in losses of around US$6 billion or around IDR 94 trillion.

[Gambas:Video CNBC]

(hsy/hsy)