George Soros Funds and Foundations Must Be Held Accountable for Investments in Israeli Violations of International Law

George Soros funds and foundations must be held accountable for investments in Israeli violations of international law

The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Ramallah, 21 May 2014 -- The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), the Committee (BNC) is a wide coalition largest coalition in Palestinian civil society that is leading the global Boycott, of the largest Palestinian mass organizations, trade unions, Divestment and Sanctions movement for Palestinian rights, called today for a networks and organizations. boycott of the Soros Fund Management and the Open Society Foundations due 1 BNC member organizations: to the recently announced -- first-quarter 2014 -- investment by Soros in Council of National and Islamic Forces SodaStream stock and increased investment in Teva Pharmaceuticals, both in Palestine Israeli companies that are deeply involved in violations of international law. Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) Palestinian Nat’l Institute for NGOs SodaStream is an Israeli company that manufactures in Maale Adumim, an Global Palestine Right of Return illegal settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT) and, as such, is Coalition deeply complicit in Israel's violations of international law. Settlements are Palestinian Trade Union Coalition for illegal under international law and constitute a war crime.2 BDS (PTUC-BDS)

Federation of Indep. Trade Unions Leading UN officials and human rights organizations, including Oxfam, have Gen. Union of Palestinian Workers condemned settlement-based industries as profiting from the Israeli Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions occupation and colluding in the denial of Palestinian rights. Gen. Union of Palestinian Women Union of Palestinian Farmers The BDS movement has consistently targeted complicit Israeli and Gen. Union of Palestinian Teachers international corporations -- involved in Israel’s occupation, settlements and Gen. Union of Palestinian Writers other international law infringements -- such as Sodatream, G4S, Ahava, Palestinian Federation of Unions of Mekorot, Elbit, Veolia, Caterpillar, Africa Israel, all Israeli banks, among others. University Professors and Employees (PFUUPE) According to the Israeli human rights group, WhoProfits, as Israel’s largest Union of Professional Associations pharmaceutical company, “Teva enjoys the advantages generated by the Israeli Gen. Union of Palestinian Peasants occupation of Palestinian lands allowing the company to exploit the Palestinian Union of Public Employees in market. 'Quality and Security reasons' in conjunction with economic and Palestine-Civil Sector political justifications create a Palestinian captive market for Israeli and Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid 3 Wall Campaign (STW) multinational companies.” Popular Struggle Coordination Committee (PSCC) SodaStream markets itself as environmentally friendly to hide the fact that it is, Nat’l Committee for Grassroots after all, part of a colonial enterprise. More than 200 Palestinian families were Resistance expelled from their homes to make way for the construction of Maale Adumim Pal. Campaign for the Academic and in the 1990s, in defiance of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel has Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) announced its intentions to forcibly displace another 2,300 Palestinians from Nat’l Committee to Commemorate the 4 Nakba their land in order to facilitate further expansion of the settlement. Civic Coalition for the Defense of Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem Palestinian trade unions have consistently rejected any suggestion that the Coalition for Jerusalem oppressive reality of living under a brutal occupation — sometimes leaving Union of Pal. Charitable Organizations Palestinians with no choice but to export produce through complicit Israeli Palestinian Economic Monitor Union of Youth Activity Centers- companies or work in illegal settlements — is a reason not to take action to Palestine Refugee Camps end international complicity in human rights violations.5 Palestinian workers Occupied Palestine and Syrian Golan Heights Initiative www.bdsmovement.net [email protected]

employed by SodaStream have explained that they face systematic discrimination and are “treated like slaves”.

Soros Fund Management’s reported investment in settlement-based SodaStream comes at a time when civil society, the private sector and governments across the world are increasingly shunning businesses that contribute to Israel’s occupation and violations of international law. SodaStream stock has lost 18% of its value since the beginning of 2014, according to Bloomberg.6

International supporters of Palestinian rights have responded to calls for boycotts of SodaStream, organising protests across hundreds of stores and many European retailers have pledged not to sell products produced in illegal Israeli settlements. The Dutch and UK governments have recently warned businesses to avoid business links with illegal Israeli settlements.7

Following the recent high profile outcry about actor Scarlett Johansson's association with SodaStream, investment analysts have stated that SodaStream "comes with baggage" and that their illegal settlement factory is "a touchstone for controversy". Indeed, their first quarter 2014 results show a drop of 14% in their share price.8

George Soros’s alleged respect for human rights and the Open Society Foundation’s actual support for various educational, human rights and cultural projects in the occupied Palestinian territory and the region are incompatible with his investment in companies, like Teva and SodaStream, that consistently violate human rights and international law and profit from the Israeli occupation and colonization.

We call on Mr. Soros to immediately divest his Fund Management from all companies that profit from Israel’s occupation and well-documented human rights violations. Two particularly useful sources for research on such companies are: www.WhoProfits.org and www.corporateoccupation.org/.

We call on all Palestinian, Arab and international organizations that have received funding from the Soros foundations to pressure Mr. Soros to clean his investment portfolio of human rights violators and to refrain from applying for funds from these foundations if he fails to do so.

The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)

1 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-15/soros-buys-sodastream-shares-while-boosting-teva-stake.html 2 http://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_cha_chapter38_rule130#sthash.rTZZCiBe.dpuf 3 http://www.whoprofits.org/company/teva-pharmaceutical-industries 4 http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_communities_jerusalem_factsheet_june_2013_english.pdf#sthash.rTZZCiBe.dp uf 5 http://www.bdsmovement.net/2013/palestinian-agricultural-org-call-10515#sthash.rTZZCiBe.dpuf 6 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-15/soros-buys-sodastream-shares-while-boosting-teva-stake.html 7 http://www.bdsmovement.net/2013/uk-government-warns-business-links-settlements-11475 8 http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/04/02/3-consumer-stocks-investors-returned-in-the-first.aspx