Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel and a focus of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
West Bank
The Latest
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Opinion What To Call Occupation After 47 Years?
(Haaretz) — Open Haaretz on any given day. Half or three quarters of its news items will invariably revolve around the same two topics: people struggling to protect the good name of Israel, and people struggling against its violence and injustices. An almost random example: On December 17, 2013, one could read, on a single…
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Opinion Hacking SodaStream Debate
In addition to the Scarlett Johansson Super Bowl ad, part of the reason that SodaStream has gotten so much attention — as opposed to many other products on the boycott Israel list — is because it presents an ethical conundrum for its lefty customers. SodaStream has become a symbol for health and environmentalism, but also…
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Israel News Settlement Business Owners Unfazed by Boycott Surge After SodaStream Feud
(JTA) — Of the 200,000 wine bottles Yakov Burg produced last year, 16,000 went to Europe. The possibility of a boycott and repeated rumblings that Europe is planning to label goods produced in the settlements could decrease that number, but Burg isn’t worried. The CEO of Psagot Winery, which is located in a settlement of the…
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Breaking News Denmark Bank Dumps Israel’s Bank Hapoalim Over Occupation Backing
A Danish bank has added Israel’s Bank Hapoalim to its list of companies it won’t invest in, over its dealings in the West Bank. Israel’s Bank Hapoalim was added to the Danske Bank’s list of excluded companies on January 14, according to the bank’s website, which cited the Israeli bank’s involvement in “construction activities in…
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News Palestinian Workers Cheer SodaStream and Scarlett Johansson — Occupation or No
“I can bring a million people who want to work here,” boasted Ahmed Nasser, taking a break from his job as a SodaStream assembly line worker. Nasser spoke to the Forward from SodaStream’s main production plant, which is located in the Mishor Adumim industrial park within the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim in the occupied West…
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Breaking News Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid Cuts Off Cash to Settlements Amid Scandal
Israel’s finance minister halted the transfer of government funds to West Bank Jewish settlements on Saturday and ordered a probe into allegations that money meant to support municipalities had been funnelled to a pro-settler political group. The money in question had been earmarked to cover security and building maintenance fees that were incurred when Israel…
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Opinion Bursting Bubbles of SodaStream’s Haters
Is it wrong for Scarlett Johansson to perform as the celebrity global ambassador for the Israeli company SodaStream? Is it wrong for the rest of us to drink the fizzy, made-at-home water in the environmentally-friendly reusable bottles that are manufactured in Palestinian land occupied by Israel since the 1967 war? Thanks to the high-wattage Super…
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Breaking News Scarlett Johansson Cuts Ties to Oxfam Over SodaStream Feud
Actress Scarlett Johansson has ended her relationship with Oxfam, saying she and the humanitarian organization have “a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.” The announcement Wednesday evening comes after a protracted debate over her role as spokesperson for SodaStream, which operates a factory in the West Bank. Johansson…
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