As Ramadan begins, Israel continues its genocide against millions of Palestinians in Gaza and to carry out large scale military aggression in the illegally occupied West Bank.
Israel is still firing at Palestinians even within the supposed “safe zones” in Gaza, while its criminal siege continues, preventing essentials like food, medicine, and basic housing material from reaching people. Israel’s genocide, armed, funded and shielded from accountability by global complicity, mainly in the colonial West, can only be ended through meaningful pressure. Ending all state, corporate and institutional complicity with Israel’s genocidal regime is therefore more urgent than ever.
Let's intensify organic campaigns and strengthen the global boycott campaigns of complicit companies. As millions worldwide break their fasts during Ramadan, remember Palestinians everywhere, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank, whose resilience inspires the world and whose spirit remains unbroken. Let’s pledge to:
- Boycott Israeli dates: Don’t break your fast with Israeli dates — grown on stolen Palestinian land and with stolen water. Always check the label carefully, and don’t buy dates that are produced or packaged in Israel or its West Bank colonial settlements. If no country of origin can be found on the box, check the retailer’s website, but most likely it is Israeli. (More steps can be found here)
- Boycott all Israeli vegetables and fruits: Israel’s major exports, grown on stolen Palestinian lands, include avocados, herbs and colored peppers. Recent reports show Israel’s agricultural exports face a looming “collapse” as a direct result of our global grassroots boycotts. Let’s escalate now, check the country of origin, whether you are a consumer or an importer. Boycott all produce from apartheid Israel in your supermarket and demand they be removed from shelves.
- Boycott Carrefour: Carrefour is a genocide enabler. Escalate the boycott of Carrefour during Ramadan until it ends its complicity with apartheid Israel. Carrefour Israel has gifted personal packages to Israeli soldiers partaking in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. In 2024, Carrefour Israel supplied Israel’s ministry of war with food and beverages. In 2022, Carrefour entered a partnership with the Israeli company Electra Consumer Products and its subsidiary Yenot Bitan, both of which are involved in grave human rights violations against the Palestinian people. BDS has succeeded in shutting down Carrefour’s business in Jordan, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Spread the boycott and escalate it!
- Boycott McDonalds: The brand’s Israeli franchisee has donated meals and beverages to Israeli military personnel committing the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and it promoted this extremely provocative and racist form of complicity on its social media channels. According to Israeli media reports, McDonald's lost over $7 billion in revenue in 2024 due to global boycotts. Escalate the boycott of McDonald's worldwide, especially during Ramadan, until it ends its complicity in Israel’s apartheid regime.
- Boycott Coke: Coca-Cola Israel operates a regional distribution center and cooling houses in the illegal Israel’s settlement of Atarot. Its subsidiary, Tabor Winery, produces wines from grapes sourced from vineyards located on occupied land in illegal settlements in the West Bank and Syrian Golan. Israeli soldiers partaking in the ongoing genocide in Gaza have often been pictured with Coke cans, donated to them by various genocide-enabling groups. Local alternatives are popping up worldwide to substitute Coca-Cola.
- Boycott complicit companies that stayed silent when their branch/franchisee in Israel supported genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, including Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza, Papa John's and Burger King. (For more information see here)
Let this Ramadan be a time of action and meaningful solidarity with the oppressed. We must intensify grassroots pressure to confront Israeli and US aggression everywhere, from Palestine to Venezuela and Cuba.
The BDS movement calls for an end to global Israeli-US impunity through meaningful accountability measures now. Boycott. Divest. Sanction.