An Israeli firm which has been subjected to boycott calls by campaigners has decided to shut down its controversial plant in the Palestinian West Bank territory.
According to the New York Times, the SodaStream's stock and revenue have shrunk since actress Scarlett Johansson's appointment as the company's spokesperson caused controversy and her resignation from her post as ambassador for Oxfam International, which opposes Israeli settlements in Palestine.
Scarlett Johansson quits Oxfam over Israeli settlement row (30 January 2014)
“Pressure has forced retailers across Europe and North America to drop SodaStream, and the company’s share price has tumbled in recent months as our movement has caused increasing reputational damage to the SodaStream brand,” said Rafeef Ziadah, a spokesperson for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, known as BDS.
The plan, she added, shows that the movement “is increasingly capable of holding corporate criminals to account for their participation in Israeli apartheid and colonialism.”
SodaStream said the decision was "purely commercial".
A spokesperson said the company had received a $20mn grant from the Israeli government to build a new plant in Lehavim, in the northern Negev Desert of Israel.
Chief executive Daniel Birnbaum said that the company had asked the Israeli government to provide permits to Palestinians so they could continue to work in Lehavim.
“We are committed to doing everything in our power to enable continuity of employment to our family of employees,” he said.