Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, L’oreal, and Nestle in Palestine

Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola has been a supporter of Israel since 1966. There have even been a number of recent events to show their support.

In 1997, the Government of Israel Economic Mission honoured Coca-Cola at the Israel Trade Award Dinner for its continued support of Israel for the last 30 years and for refusing to abide by the Arab League boycott of Israel.

On October 11th 2001, where Coca-Cola World Headquarters hosted and was the main sponsor of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Eagle Star Awards Gala.

In February 2002, Coca-Cola teamed up with “Friends of Israel” and National Hillel to cosponsor a lecture given by the infamous ionist correspondent Linda Gradstein at the University of Minnesota.

In July 2002, it was announced that Coca-Cola was to build a plant on stolen Palestinian land at Kiryat Gat, in return for millions in incentives from the Israeli government. The new plant will be employing 700 Israelis. The land, Kiryat (Qiryat) Gat, has an industrial park built on the lands of the village of Iraq Al Manshiya. The residents were ethnically cleansed in 1949 in contravention of International Law. This land would have been part of Arab Palestine under the partition plan adopted by the United Nations in 1947. However, this has not been the case.

In October 2005, Coca-Cola increased its investment in Israel by buying a 51% controlling interest in the Tavor Winery. Tavor Winery is an Israeli company that is based on occupied Palestinian land at the foot of Mount Tavor, overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

Mcdonald’s
McDonald’s Corporation is a major corporate partner of the Jewish United Fund(JUF) / Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. McDonald’s Corporation was honoured during JUF centennial celebration in 2000 as a first tier corporate partner to the cause of Zionism.

Through its Israel Commission, the JUF “works to maintain American military, economic and diplomatic support for Israel; monitors and, when necessary, responds to media coverage of Israel”.

The JUF runs “Partnership to Israel” programs with the city of Kiryat Gat and the rural areas of Lachish and Shafir. Every year it provides financial aid annually to help the development of Kiryat Gat and to promote further illegal settlements there. This city is built on stolen Palestinian land – the lands of the villages of Iraq al Manshiya and Al-Faluja whose residents were ethnically cleansed in 1949 in contravention of International Law.

L’Oreal
L’Oreal has been present in Israel since 1983 via the Migdal Ha’Emek plant. The settlement of this town was established in 1952 on lands belonging to the ethically cleansed Palestinian village of al-Mujaydil, whose inhabitants are still denied the right to return to their homes. Like many other Israeli settlements in Palestinian villages, Migdal Ha-emek discriminates against Palestinian citizens of Israel, denying them the right to buy, rent or live on any part of the town, simply because they are “non Jews”

To reinforce its presence in the country, it established L’Oreal Israel in 1994. L’Oreal Israel manufacturers a line of products using minerals that are from the Dead Sea. This line is called ‘Natural Sea Beauty’ that is exported to 22 countries. What is not known is that one third of the western shore of the Dead Sea lies in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This part of the Dead Sea is closed to the Palestinians by Israeli military occupation and apartheid practices, while Israel uses the Dead Sea for international tourism, mining and improving its image.

With all this, L’Oreal has also awarded a $100,000 “lifetime achievement” award to a scientist at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science in July 2008. The Weizmann Institute has been a major centre for clandestine research and development of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons on behalf of Israel’s military establish with which L’Oreal has close ties with.

Nestle
In 2008, Osem Investments and Swiss parent Nestle, signed a deal to buy 51 percent of a unit of Maabarot Products. Maabarot Products’ shares have been traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange since November 1993, hence Nestle supports economic activity in Israel.

In 1998 Nestle received the Jubilee Award from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, being “the highest tribute ever awarded by the State of Israel in recognition of those individuals and organizations, that through their investments and trade relationships, have done the most to strengthen the Israeli economy.”

Nestle, makers of Maggi Mi, Milo, Nescafe and other products, builds on stolen Palestinian lands and sells its products globally supporting the Israeli economy

Nestle’s main presence in Israel is in Sderot, a settlement founded in 1951 about two kilometres from the Gaza Strip built on the lands of the Palestinian town Al-Najd, which was ethnically cleansed in 1948.

Nestle owns a 53.8% state in  Israeli food maker Osem Investments which acts in part as a global training centre for Nestle staff. Nestle has over 4000 Israeli employees in 11 plants in “development zones”. One such zone is in Kiryat Gat built on the former site of Palestinian village Iraq al-Manshiyya, destroyed by Israelis after 1948. Another is a ready-baked cakes factory in Ahihud; and a logistics centre in Nachsholim (Al-Tantura).

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