This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/palestinians-lose-sodastream-jobs-after-israel-boycott/2016/02/29/17001bb0-df10-11e5-8c00-8aa03741dced_story.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Palestinians lose Sodastream jobs after Israel boycott Palestinians lose SodaStream jobs after Israel boycott
(about 2 hours later)
JERUSALEM — The chief executive of SodaStream International Ltd. says he has been forced to lay off hundreds of Palestinian workers after a factory was targeted by an international boycott movement and moved from the West Bank into Israel. JERUSALEM — Hundreds of Palestinian workers are now unemployed after the factory where they worked in a West Bank settlement was targeted by an international boycott movement and forced to move to Israel, the company’s chief executive said Monday.
CEO Daniel Birnbaum said the last 74 Palestinian workers left Monday after being denied permits to work inside Israel at the new factory. Daniel Birnbaum, CEO of SodaStream International Ltd., said the last 74 Palestinian workers left Monday after being denied permits to work inside Israel at the new factory.
The global boycott movement seeks to ostracize Israel by lobbying corporations, artists and academic institutions to sever ties with the Jewish state. “We gave them an opportunity to work,” he told Israel’s Channel 2 TV, calling Palestinians the main victims of the boycott movement. But he also criticized the Israeli government for not granting them work permits.
In all, about 500 Palestinians lost their jobs after the factory moved last year following a high-profile boycott campaign against SodaStream. In all, about 500 Palestinians lost their jobs after the factory moved last year amid a high-profile boycott campaign known as BDS — an acronym for boycott, divestment and sanctions.
Birnbaum said Palestinian workers are the main victims of the boycott. But he also criticized the government for not granting the work permits. The movement seeks to ostracize Israel by lobbying corporations, artists and academic institutions to sever ties with the Jewish state. Supporters say the boycott is aimed at furthering Palestinian aspirations for independence, and that their efforts are modeled on an earlier campaign against Apartheid South Africa.
Critics say the campaign is not aimed at Israeli policies but at delegitimizing Israel itself. Some accuse it of anti-Semitism because it singles out Israel for boycott while ignoring countries with poor human rights records.
Many Palestinians work in Israeli settlements because of limited job prospects in the West Bank. The Palestinians say the local economy is hobbled by Israeli restrictions.
Mahmoud Nawajaa, the BDS coordinator in the West Bank town of Ramallah, called the loss of the Palestinian jobs at SodaStream “part of the price that should be paid in the process of ending the occupation.” He called on the Palestinian Authority to do more to find jobs for the workers.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.