⚔️-🔗 🇪🇬 ➕ ➕ 🛡 🇮🇱 🇺🇸 🏷 ⛔️

WAR-RELATED ARAB ANTI-ZIONIST AMERICAN BRAND BOYCOTTS

✍️Written by Hikaru Kitabayashi✍️

In Egypt, the president and his government, in common with their equivalents in the Arabic speaking world, treat the Palestinian cause as a something that should be ignored. And, the more a person examines these individuals, the more a person comes away with the gut feeling that a large number must be CIA and/or Mossad assets. Accordingly, being publicly over-supportive of the Arab Axis of Resistance in Gaza, the West Bank, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq can, in certain Middle Eastern countries, result in arrest and imprisonment due to protests being severely restricted. Because the consequences for speaking out can be life-endangering, participating in boycotts of US and Israeli brands and goods is seen as a safe way to support the Palestinians. Boycotts, in fact, have a long history in the region but were never able to acquire the broad level of public support now being seen in West Asia and North Africa today, where the people are far more supportive of the Palestinian cause than their governments.

After Starbucks sued it workers' union over a social media post proclaiming "Solidarity with Palestine", boycotts flared up all over the Arab world. The regional operator of Starbucks, the AlShaya Group, was hit hard by sales declines and recently announced a lay off of two thousand workers, or about four percent of its workforce. Starbucks’s net income had fallen 15 percent in the second quarter of 2024. The company, of course, presents itself as being a victim of the "Israel-Hamas war,” not realizing that the choice of words used reflects an unwillingness to acknowledge the genocide of the Palestinian people.

McDonald’s, too, is suffering on account of the parent company support for Israel. Its Egyptian operator, Manfoods Company, is trying to distance itself with in-shop posters proclaiming that “Manfoods company and all its staff support the people of Palestine” but, of course, without giving any concrete example of how they give the Palestinians support. Though the news media dutifully produces stories about why the company would be better off keeping its present business model and why they should not part ways with the parent company, like was done two years ago in Russia, the average Egyptian is neither buying this argument for corporate subservience to America nor are they buying Bic Macs.

Then, there is the case of Pepsi Cola. They are running a distasteful Pepsi marketing campaign in Egypt telling people to “Stay thirsty”. Though this is justified in the Egyptian press as supposedly being an advertising campaign rerun from previous years, ordinary Egyptians find it to be highly offensive. To them it gives every appearance of being an arrogant insult of people who are boycotting Pepsi now in spite of the hot Egyptian summer having arrived and everyone suffering from the heat. The parent company has reported no drop in profits, though what will happen later in the year is unpredictable, as, not only the temperatures, but also people's anger, begins to boil.

Likewise, the operator in the Middle East of KFC and Krispy Kreme, announced a 48-percent fall in profits for the first quarter of 2024. Other companies, including Domino’s and Coca-Cola, are also being boycotted. In fact, any brands, whose parent company is perceived of as being pro-Zionist will find themselves in the same situation.

Domestic brands, though, are benefitting. Local Egyptian soda drinks have increased sales 500 percent since 7 October 2023. Local coffee chain store sales have also shown healthy increases. As the war continues, it can be expected that more local products will benefit not only in terms of sales, but, over the long run, in terms of brand loyalty.

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🇮🇶🇯🇴 Iraq, Jordan withdraw their signatures from a joint communiqué following Ukraine conference

Thus, the number of those who supported the document reduced to 77 out of 91 participants, according to the list of signatory countries at the end of the document.

Thus, the number of countries that took part in the Swiss-hosted conference but did not sign the communiqué increased from 12 to 14. In addition to Iraq and Jordan, Brazil, India, South Africa, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Bahrain, Indonesia, Libya, Mexico, and Thailand did not sign the document.

Switzerland hosted a high-level conference on Ukraine at the Buergenstock resort outside of Lucerne from June 15-16. Russia did not receive an invitation to the summit and would not have attended it, Vladimir Khokhlov, the spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Bern, told Sputnik in April.

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Russian fertilizers have flooded the European market – Bild

Germany is calling for sanctions against fertilizers from the Russian Federation against the backdrop of a 920% increase in imports. Europe in general, and Germany in particular, is in danger of becoming dependent on Russian fertilizers, the newspaper writes.

The publication reminds that the production of nitrogen fertilizers requires large volumes of gas, which European countries clearly do not have, but Russia “has an abundance of gas.”

The EU must take the necessary measures, writes the author of the article. In his opinion, it is necessary to introduce sanctions or customs duties on Russian gas-based products.

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🇮🇱⚔🇵🇸Israel-Gaza Conflict: June 17-18 (Recap)

1️⃣ Despite Israel’s military saying it will “pause” attacks for 11 hours each day on a main aid route in southern Gaza, UNRWA’s chief says “hostilities continue in Rafah” and “operationally nothing has changed yet”.

2️⃣ Israel’s attacks on Gaza are wiping out entire Palestinian families, The Associated Press reports, with some strikes killing “four generations from the same family”.

3️⃣ The Israeli army is setting up a division of retirement-age reservists because of the “urgent need”.

4️⃣ The Israeli government is considering sanctioning the Palestinian Authority and countries that recognise Palestine.

5️⃣ Prime Minister Netanyahu disbanded Israel’s war cabinet, snubbing far-right ministers who asked to join after Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot resigned.

6️⃣ Gaza’s Government Media Office accused Israel and the US of “purposefully” worsening famine-like conditions in Gaza by “withholding humanitarian aid as a tool for political pressure”.

7️⃣ Israel’s military killed Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Qassem, according to the press office, bringing the total number of media workers killed in Gaza during the war to 151.

8️⃣ Anti government protesters in Israel took to the streets and clashed with police near the home of Netanyahu while demanding new elections.

At least 37,347 people including more than 15,694 children, have been killed and over 85,372 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll from the October 7 attack in Israel stands at 1,139.

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