Asian country calls for boycott of ‘pro-Israeli’ goods
Indonesian activists are calling for a boycott of what they call pro-Israeli products in a humanitarian gesture to pressure Israel to stop hostilities in Gaza, Republik media outlet reported on Thursday.
The call for a ban was initiated by human rights organizations and activists in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is also being supported by multiple political parties, the outlet said.
Companies on the blacklist with alleged ties to Israel include prominent brands such as Coca-Cola, Starbucks, McDonald’s, KFC, Nestle, and IBM.
“We in the House of Representatives encourage this boycott movement of Israeli products to become the official stance of the Indonesian government to be followed by all businesses and society,” a member of the country’s parliament, Amin Ak, told Republika on Wednesday.
Supporters of the boycott are calling for people to stop consuming “Israel-related” goods in favor of local ones.
“That would be a good moment to strengthen the tightening of the flow of imported goods, especially imports of some products,” said a senior official at the Indonesian Industry Ministry, Putu Juli Ardika.
According to local media reports, international fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, Starbucks, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Burger King, as well as ride-hailing firm Grab, have already noticed a drop in customers and profits.
Earlier this week, Türkiye’s parliament removed Coca-Cola and Nestle products from its restaurants over their alleged support for Israel, according to a parliament statement.
“It was decided that the products of companies that support Israel will not be sold in restaurants, cafeterias and tea houses in the parliament campus,” it read.
The decision was taken by the speaker of the parliament, Numan Kurtulmus. According to a Turkish parliamentary source, Coca-Cola beverages and Nestle instant coffee were the only brands removed from the menu.
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