SHAFAQNA (Shia News Association) — What is Home Depot’s involvement in Israel?
Since its foundation in 1979 by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, Home Depot has become a huge player in the North American home improvement market.
1- With over 2000 stores across Canada, the US, Mexico, and China, Home Depot‟s business decisions hold a great deal of economic weight worldwide. Currently, Israeli companies such as Keter Plastic, Smart Storage and Zag supply more than $150 million worth of Home Depot‟s products.
How is Home Depot encouraging Israel’s colonial expansion?
Home Depot continues to encourage Israeli colonial expansion by selling a large array of products from the Israeli company Keter Plastic and its subsidiaries (e.g. Keter-Black and Decker, Lotemplast bath mats, and Workforce.) Keter Plastic owns and operates two plants in illegal Israeli colonies established within the occupied West Bank: one in the Barkan Industrial Zone, and another in Oranit. The Barkan industrial Zone is the second largest industrial zone in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, and is home to a myriad of businesses and factories,
3- many of which have been under international political pressure to relocate due to the illegality of the Barkan colony.
4- The Oranit colony, along with three other Israeli colonies in the West Bank, was approved for expansion by former Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz in 2006.
5- Home Depot has recently awarded Keter Plastic a $150 million contract which will last for at least three years.The establishment of colonies and colonial infrastructure on occupied territories is illegal according to Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and is considered a war crime according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
7- Furthermore, the continuing establishment of Jewish-only colonies on Palestinian land significantly hinders the achievement of a “comprehensive just and lasting peace deal in the Middle East,” as asserted in UN Security Council Resolution 446 (March 22, 1979).
Why boycott Home Depot?
By awarding business contracts to Israeli firms and profiting from the sale of products manufactured in illegally located colonies, Home Depot is encouraging and legitimizing Israel‟s military occupation of Palestinian land. This is in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, numerous UN Security Council resolutions, official Canadian policy on the Israeli-occupied Arab territories, and Article 3 (Section C) of the UN Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises. This last instrument of international law states that “[t]ransnational corporations and other business enterprises shall not engage in nor benefit from war crimes, [or] crimes against humanity...”
8- This document also stipulates that corporations are prohibited from engaging in actions that obstruct or impede economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights.
9- The labelling of the Keter Plastic products produced in the occupied territories as “products of Israel” in Home Depot stores is also problematic. Although under the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA), there is no distinction between products that are sourced from occupied territories and those from the state of Israel; the Canadian government does not recognize Israel‟s claims to the West Bank.
10- Therefore, by labelling products made in the West Bank as an Israeli commodity, products coming from illegal colonies are able to circumvent Canadian import taxes and duty fees, and inhibit buyers from making informed and ethical consumption choices. Moreover, the Keter Plastic plant in the Barkan industrial zone contributes to vast amounts of industrial waste that is subsequently discharged into the waterways and lands near the Palestinian village of Salfit.
11- This waste affects nearby occupied Palestinian populations who rely on the polluted farmland for produce, and on surrounding rivers for irrigation.
Why boycott Home Depot?
By awarding business contracts to Israeli firms and profiting from the sale of products manufactured in illegally located colonies, Home Depot is encouraging and legitimizing Israel‟s military occupation of Palestinian land. This is in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, numerous UN Security Council resolutions, official Canadian policy on the Israeli-occupied Arab territories, and Article 3 (Section C) of the UN Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises.
This last instrument of international law states that “[t]ransnational corporations and other business enterprises shall not engage in nor benefit from war crimes, [or] crimes against humanity...”
8-This document also stipulates that corporations are prohibited from engaging in actions that obstruct or impede economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights.
9- The labelling of the Keter Plastic products produced in the occupied territories as “products of Israel” in Home Depot stores is also problematic. Although under the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA), there is no distinction between products that are sourced from occupied territories and those from the state of Israel; the Canadian government does not recognize Israel‟s claims to the West Bank.
10- Therefore, by labelling products made in the West Bank as an Israeli commodity, products coming from illegal colonies are able to circumvent Canadian import taxes and duty fees, and inhibit buyers from making informed and ethical consumption choices.Moreover, the Keter Plastic plant in the Barkan industrial zone contributes to vast amounts of industrial waste that is subsequently discharged into the waterways and lands near the Palestinian village of Salfit.
11- This waste affects nearby occupied Palestinian populations who rely on the polluted farmland for produce, and on surrounding rivers for irrigation.
12- Environmental standards for businesses are not This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, reuse or reproduction prohibited without express written permission www.cjpme.orgenforced in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, and some of Israel‟s “dirtiest” businesses are located to the West Bank as a consequence. It is also important to note that in July 2005, more than 170 Palestinian civil society organizations issued a call asking the international community to boycott Israeli products in order to promote recognition of the Palestinians‟ right to self-determination. The Palestinian call asked for a boycott of any business or institution participating directly or indirectly in the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian territories. Thus, justice-minded Canadians would want to boycott Home Depot in an effort to economically pressure Israel to cease its occupation.
How is Home Depot violating its own corporate commitments?
Home Depot is not only violating international law, but is also going against its own code of conduct. The Home Depot Business Code of Conduct and Ethics is based on acting with integrity, respecting all people, and “doing the right thing each and every day for the benefit of [its] Associates, customers, vendors, suppliers and the communities [it] serve[s]…”
13- In the section on Home Depot‟s commitments to its venders and suppliers, the code states that Home Depot will select business partners whose values and business practices are compatible with its own high standards.
14- By doing business with Keter Plastic and other Israeli companies, it is evident that Home Depot is disregarding its corporate commitments and engaging in an unethical business partnership.When should the boycott of Home Depot end? The boycott will end when Home Depot terminates its contract with Keter Plastic and all other Israeli manufacturers, or when Israel ends its occupation of Palestinian territory. — www.shafaqna.com
