Joint Al-Awda.org and
BoycottIsraeliGoods.org Alert: Coca-Cola
According to the
newspaper Haaretz (July 19, 2002), the Israeli government is attempting to
entice Coca-Cola to build a plant in Kiryat Gat using millions in incentives.
Similar incentives were offered to Intel to build its plant on land that belongs
to displaced Palestinians. The Kiryat Gat industrial park is built on the lands
of Iraq Al Manshiya whose residents were removed in 1949 in contravention of
International law.
Our campaign to publicize and educate the public about
this issue resulted in over 2000 letters to Intel and in dozens of articles in
the Arab and American Media, including a widely cited recent investigative
article in the San Francisco Chronicle. This media coverage has embarrassed
Intel and we believe it made a difference. Unlike the Intel campaign which was
done only after the plant was built, we now have an opportunity to educate
Coca-Cola BEFORE plans and building begin.
Thanks to our supporters,
articles and opinion pieces on Intel have been published in newspapers
throughout the Arab World, including: Al Dustour (Jordan), Al Watan (Qatar), Al
Hayat, Al Safeer (Lebanon), Al-Quds, Al Ayyam (Palestine), Al Ahram (Cairo),
Al-Watan (Kuwait), and Al-Khaleej (United Arab Emirates). As a result, we also
identified other Palestinian refugees from Iraq Al Manshiya. Thus, we now ask
you to write to the media internationally as well as to Coke and Intel to ask
for divestment from Israel.
ACTION REQUESTED:
1) Sign our
petition found at http://www.boycottisraeligoods.org/modules.php?name=Petition&file=sign&p_id=2
2) Write letter to Mr. Douglas Daft, CEO
Coca-Cola Enterprises
PO Box 1734
One Coca-Cola Plaza
Atlanta, Georgia 30313
1-800-571-2653
http://www.coke.com
3) Write to the letters
editor of your favorite newspaper or other media outlet. Each letter (100-150
words) should be sent to one newspaper only and include your name, address and
phone number. Contact data for newspapers and other media outlets can be found
at these web pages:
http://www.fair.org/media-contact-list.html
http://www.MrSmithMedia.com/MrSmithNewspaper.html
You could also write letters to these more national/international
newspapers:
Financial Times letters@ft.com
Wall Street Journal
letter.editor@edit.wsj.com
New York Times letters@nytimes.com
The
Economist, London letters@economist.com
Business Week submit letters online
at
http://www.neodata.com/BusinessWeek/lettersed.html
You can send copies of your letters or opinion pieces to Coca-Cola
at the above address.
Please send a blind copy (bcc) of your
correspondence to Al-Awda-Alerts@mail.com
Talking Points
* Coca-Cola should reconsider its investments in Israel and
especially reject the incentives to build in Kiryat Gat on land Israel
confiscated from the Palestinian village of Iraq Al-Manshiya. This is
outrageous.
* Israel forced out the original inhabitants of Iraq Al
Manshiya and the near-by village of Al-Faluja after the 1948 war ended contrary
to international law and an armistice agreement sponsored by the UN and which
Israel signed. According to the Israeli historian Benny Morris, the expulsion
was achieved by "intimidation using all means". For more information see: http://www.palestineremembered.com/Gaza/Iraq-al-Manshiyya/
*
Coca-Cola should not participate and allow Israel to have economic benefits from
the illegal dispossession of Palestinians. Israel is denying Palestinian
refugees their right of return to their lands and homes which it is occupying.
This right is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
International Law, and is supported by numerous UN resolutions.
* Given
Israel's apartheid policies, continuing abuses of fundamental human rights, and
violations of International Law, Coca-Cola should divest from Israel
forthwith.
* With Israel continuing its war-like policies, the situation
in the Middle East continues to get worse (mostly for Palestinians but also to a
lesser extent for Israelis). It is unwise for good companies like Coca-Cola to
invest in such an ethnically segregated and volatile place.
Our original
Intel alert can be found at http://al-awda.org/intel_update.htm
Al-Awda,
Palestine Right to Return Coalition
P.O. Box 1172
Orange, CT 06477
Fax: 1-802-609-9284
E-mail: prrc@mail.com
Boycott Israeli Goods
and Services Campaign
http://BoycottIsraeliGoods.org
E-mail:
info@boycottisraeligoods.org