Turkish parliament launches boycott on Coca-Cola and Nestlé over “support” for Israel

09 Nov 2023 --- The Turkish parliament is removing all Coca-Cola and Nestlé products from its campus shelves in an apparent boycott over Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas. Speaker Numan Kurtulmus made the decision, without announcing how the two companies are supporting Israel or connected to the war. 

In an announcement, Türkiye’s Grand National Assembly (TBMM) said that “the products of companies that support Israel will not be sold in restaurants, cafeterias and tea houses in the parliament campus.” 

While TBMM did not identify the companies implicated, a Reuters source identified Coca-Cola beverages and Nestlé instant coffee as the only brands removed, saying the decision was made in reaction to a “huge public outcry against these companies.” 

The TBMM also says it “supports public sensitivity regarding boycotting products of companies who have openly declared their support for Israel’s war crimes and killing of innocent people in Gaza.” 

Coca-Cola and Nestlé have not yet responded to a request for comment. 

Coca-Cola and Nestlé have not yet responded to the boycott.According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, over 10,000 Palestinian civilians (the majority women and children) have now been killed by Israeli forces since the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, which left at least 1,300 Israelis dead and over 200 kidnapped. 

Daniel Shadmy, a spokesperson for the European Leadership Network (ELNET), an organization dedicated to strengthening ties between the EU and Israel, tells Food Ingredients First the Turkish boycott is a “PR stunt to show the Western world which side they are on.” 

This is ironic, Shadmy asserts, as “for almost two years, Erdogan almost wooed Israel because of his desire to be involved in promoting gas exports from Israel through Turkey to Europe.” 

Israel’s siege on Gaza 
Last month, Nestlé announced it had been forced to temporarily shut down one of its plants in Israel for several days without providing further details. It is the first FMCG to announce such an impact by the war publicly. 

“Our focus is on keeping our colleagues and employees safe. I have no comment on the development of the business,” CEO Mark Schneider reportedly said. “We’ve taken necessary precautions.” 

Heavy criticism has been leveled at the Israeli government for enforcing a near-total blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has seen the number of aid trucks entering the strip fall from over 12,000 in August to less than 600 since the war began. 

The Palestine Red Crescent Society announced yesterday that it had received 118 aid trucks on Sunday and Monday through the Rafah border crossing. However, bombings have disrupted the flow of “lifesaving” equipment to the strip, with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) saying a humanitarian convoy of five trucks and two ICRC vehicles came under fire in Gaza City on Tuesday. Strikes at the Rafah crossing were also previously reported, which the IDF says it is investigating. 

At least 58% of all residential units in Gaza have been damaged, or 212,000 homes, causing mass displacement.The UN has called for a massive increase in aid entering the strip, warning of impending mass civilian starvation if the blockade continues. The World Health Organization has also said there are “worrying trends” of a “rapid spread of infectious diseases.” 

Human Rights Watch is accusing the Israeli government of war crimes under the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits starvation as a method of war. 

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has called for an end to the blockade and asserted that the only way to “durable peace and security” would include “no attempts to blockade or besiege Gaza.”

Blockades and boycotts 
Israel first imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2005, with officials saying the measures were necessary to prevent armed groups smuggling weapons into the strip. 

The situation in Gaza and the West Bank has caused a number of attempted boycotts on F&B industry players doing business in Israel. Last year, Unilever’s ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s made a failed proposal to prevent sales of its products in Israeli West Bank settlements. 

Shadmy at ELNET says the boycott in the Turkish parliament “is no different from any boycott by foreign parties against Israeli companies due to pressure from the streets and public opinion.” 

“Hamas is saying they are currently running out of every F&B and basic needs, but it appears they are not running out of fuel for rockets, weapons and ammunition,” he says. 

“Any call to boycott or harm companies is done to create more division and conflict. The EU F&B industry should, instead of boycotting Israel and therefore giving support to Hamas, pressure their governments to make sure the humanitarian aid and support the Palestinians so desperately need doesn’t go into the hands of Hamas, who are stealing everything they can from their people to assist their mission to kill, destroy and spread hate.” 

By Louis Gore-Langton