In all about 500 Palestinians have lost their jobs after the factory moved in 2015 amid a
high-profile boycott campaign known as BDS, meaning boycott, divestment and sanctions. The movement seeks to ostracise Israel by lobbying corporations, artists and academic institutions to sever ties with the Jewish state. Supporters say the boycott is aimed at furthering Palestinian aspirations for independence, and that their efforts are modelled on an earlier campaign against apartheid South Africa. Critics say the campaign is not aimed at Israeli policies but at delegitimising Israel itself. Some accuse it of antisemitism because it singles out Israel for boycott while ignoring countries with poor human rights records.
At a march to protest the government’s decision on Monday, a few hundred SodaStream employees formed a peace sign at the company’s Lehavim factory.
Palestinian employees then boarded buses for the last time to be taken into the West Bank. Anas Abdul Wadud Ghayth, 25, had worked for SodaStream for four years and wiped tears from behind his glasses. “We were one family. I am sad because I am leaving my friends who have worked here for a long time,” he said.
“There is no hope in Palestine. There is little work.” Bassel Salhaya said he had no plan for future employment in the West Bank. “We were together 12 hours a day, more than I see my wife and son,” he said. “We became like brothers.”