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BOYCOTT ISRAEL CAMPAIGN
COMPANY : Starbucks

PRODUCTS & AFFILIATED COMPANIES:

Starbucks Coffee Stores (4,709 locations world-wide) see[8][9][10] for details.

Starbuck coffee, chocolates, biscuits & ice-cream products

Seattle Coffee Company in the United Kingdom with more than 60 retail locations (aquired 1998).

Pasqua Inc., a San Francisco based coffee retailer in (aquired 1998).

Hear Music, a San Francisco based music company (aquired 1999).

Tazo®, a Portland, Oregon based tea company (aquired 1999).

RESEARCH FINDINGS :

Howard Shultz, the chairman of Starbucks is an active zionist.

In 1998 he was honoured by the Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah with "The Israel 50th Anniversary Friend of Zion Tribute Award" for his services to the zionist state in "playing a key role in promoting close alliance between the United States and Israel". The Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah funds israeli arms fairs chaired by the butcher of Jenin - General Shaul Mofaz, and the zionist propaganda website honestreporting.com.[1]


Howard Shultz,
Chairman of Starbucks

His work as a propagandist for Israel has been praised by the Israeli Foreign Ministry as being key to Israel's long-term PR success [2].

Recently whilst the Israeli army was slaughtering Palestinians in Jenin, Nabulus and Bethlehem he made a provocative speech blaming the Palestinians of terrorism, suggesting the intifada was a manifestation of anti- Semitism, and asked people to unite behind Israel [3].

At a time when other businesses were desperately pulling out of Israel, Starbucks decided to help Israel's floundering economy and invest in Israel - a joint venture with Israeli conglomerate Delek Group for Starbucks outlets in Israel ( Shalom Coffee Co).[4][5][6]. A bad business decision - Starbucks made heavy losses and in April 2003 Starbucks were forced to announced that all 6 Starbucks cafes in Israel will be shut down and its partnership with Delek end.[14]

It has been revealed that Starbucks still continues to support Israel by sponsoring fund raisers for Israel.[15]

See [11] for suggested action against Starbucks..

Oxfam has misguidedly partnered with Starbucks in return for £100,000 - please support our "Campaign Against Oxfam Agreement with Starbucks".

Starbucks fully supports Bush's war of terror and has opened a Starbucks in Afghanistan for the US invaders - they like to do there bit to help the occupation.[17]

ADDITIONAL INFO & REFs :

[1]

Israel 50th Anniversary Friend of Zion Tribute Award

Howard Schultz was presented with "The Israel 50th Anniversary Friend of Zion Tribute Award" by the The Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah in August 27, 1998. [a][e]

According to the Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah "The Friends of Zion award salutes leaders who have played key roles in promoting close alliance between the United States and Israel"[e]

Awards Page Mystery

Its interesting that the Israel 50th Anniversary Award given to Howard Schultz was once displayed with pride on the Starbucks website on the companys "Awards and Accolades" page but since the boycott started biting it has mysteriously disappeared from the page![a]


Original page(above) listing Howard Shultz Israel Award as an award for Starbucks can still be seen at www.archive.org. The new page is shown below with no mention of the israeli connection..

 

The Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah

1. The Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah sponsors Israeli military arms fairs chaired by the butcher of Jenin - General Shaul Mofaz, Israel's Minister of Defense. It aims to "strengthen the special connection between the American, European and Israeli defense industries" and "to showcase the newest Israeli innovations in defense".[f]

2. The Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah also sponsors the zionist propaganda website "honestreporting.com".[g]

3. The Aish HaTorah, the main beneficiary of The Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah, whilst described as an apolitical international network of Jewish education centres, produces propaganda material for Israel.

One video they produce by Rabbi Ken Spiro titled "The Islamic Connection to Jerusalem" starts "The Islamic connection begins in the 7th century, thousands of years after the original Jewish connection.." and continues to belittle Jerusalem's Islamic heritage - propaganda to justify Israeli occupation of Jerusalem.[b]

Also featured on their site is "The Occupied Territories - A Primer" which denies the status of the West Bank and Gaza as "occupied" and argues that they be called "disputed territories"..[c]

No wonder they were praised by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu:

"..I congratulate Aish HaTorah for what they're doing, where they're doing it, and for whom they're doing it."[d]

 

[a] http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/recognition.asp
(original still available at http://web.archive.org/web/20010502093522/www.starbucks.com/aboutus/recognition.asp?cookie_test=1 )

[b] http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/Video_The_Islamic_Connection_to_Jerusalem.asp
[c] http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/middleeast/The_-Occupied_Territories-_A_Primer.asp
[d] http://www.jerusalemfund.com/aboutus/aboutusCommendations.asp
[e] http://www.jerusalemfund.com/honorees/herzl_honorees1998.php
[f] http://www.jerusalemfund.com/missions/homeland_sponsorship.php
[g] http://www.jerusalemfund.com/programs/index.php

 

[2]

Jerusalem Report

http://www.jrep.com/Israel/Article-0.html

Losing the Media Battle (April 22, 2002)

"... The key to Israel’s long-term PR success, Meir(*) believes, is on the campuses of North America and Europe. Wealthy Jews like Howard Schultz, the owner of the Starbucks chain, are helping with student projects, including seminars held in both Israel and North America, in which students hear Israeli presentations on the crisis...."

(*) Gideon Meir, the official in charge of the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s PR effort.

 

[3]

http://www.king5.com/localnews/NW_040402WABschultz.43d45a4b.html

Starbucks CEO says anti-Semitism on the rise

Howard Shultz warns American Jews against complacency

04/04/2002

Reported by Elisa Hahn, KING 5

SEATTLE - Divisions within the Jewish community were on display Thursday in Seattle as Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz criticized Palestinian inaction in the Middle East while others protested the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.

"If you leave this synagogue tonight and go back to your home and ignore this, then shame on us," Howard Schultz told a crowded temple of Jewish Americans on Seattle's Capitol Hill.

Schultz warned other Jews against sitting back and doing nothing.

"What is going on in the Middle East is not an isolated part of the world. The rise of anti-Semitism is at an all time high since the 1930's," he said.

"The Palestinians aren't doing their job they're not stopping terrorism."

While reaction inside the temple to Schultz's remarks grew from a warm reception to a standing ovation, the mood outside the temple was different.

A handful of Jews gathered there to protest the Israeli government's actions of late and their occupation of Palestinian lands.

There were similar sentiments Thursday at Seattle's Westlake center.

"We only get the side that talks about Palestinians as terrorists. As if all the civilians right now living in a state of siege and terror are terrorists and they're not," said protestor Alethea Mundy, whose younger brother is in Bethlehem doing relief work for Palestinian refugees.

She's worried about her brother, but realizes that everything is relative.

"This is what the Palestinians live with every day, two weeks is nothing for my brother,"

 

[4]

http://www.aiccse.org/Newsletters/julaugsep_enewsletter2.htm

American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, Southeast Region e-Newsletter

JULY-AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2001

Starbucks will open its first two cafes in Tel Aviv during the first week of September and plans to open another three branches in the area by the end of the year with 15 more throughout Israel by the end of 2002. Israel-based Delek, which recently purchased a chain of US convenience stores and established its US headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, will be the majority shareholder in Starbucks Israel.

see [13] for more on Delek's US connection.

 

[5]

http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2001/04/16/daily31.html

Starbucks next market: Israel

Starbucks Coffee Co. chairman Howard Schultz loves a challenge. He opened the Japanese market during the depths of that country's spectacular recession, and now he's set his sights on conflict-ridden Israel.

The stores will be built through a joint venture company, Shalom Coffee Co., which will be owned by publicly traded Israeli conglomerate Delek Group and Starbucks Coffee International, Starbucks' internationally focused wholly-owned subsidiary. No word yet on how many Starbucks stores are planned for the tiny Middle Eastern nation, which has been plagued by escalating violence between Palestinians and the Israeli military since last fall.

 

[6]

Jerusalem Post, Sunday, April 22 2001

http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/04/20/Business/Business.24922.html

Starbucks to open here later in year
By Sharon Berger


JERUSALEM (April 20) - The Delek Group and Starbucks Coffee International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Starbucks Coffee Company, said yesterday that they had reached an agreement to form a joint venture to open Starbucks here. The costs involved in the joint venture were not disclosed.

According to the agreement, which is expected to be signed in the next few weeks, Delek will hold 80.5 percent of the coffee chain, while Starbucks Coffee International will hold the remaining 19.5%. Starbucks will have the option to increase its share to 50% at a later date. Originally Delek and Burger King co-owner Yair Hason were negotiating for a 40% share each in a venture with Starbucks, but a few months ago the deal was cancelled.

The announcement that Starbucks will be coming is expected to be welcomed by local coffee lovers who have long been awaiting the rumored arrival of the chain which has with 3,600 stores in the US. According to the Delek Group the plan is "to open dozens of stores." The first stores are expected to open late this year.

"We expect Israel to be an excellent market for Starbucks, with great growth opportunities," said Peter Masien, president of Starbucks Coffee International.

Delek's investment in the coffee chain is part of its strategy to expand into new areas, said Giora Sarig, president of Delek's Israel Fuel Corporation, one of the three subsidiaries of the Delek Group. "We are delighted to become partners with such a world-class brand as Starbucks," he said.

The coffee shops will not be connected to the Delek gas stations.

The local competition is not overly concerned about the entrance of the well known chain. Aroma's operating manager Ben Balbinder told The Jerusalem Post that "more coffee stores will raise the awareness of coffee drinking."

He added that according to his personal experience in the US, Starbucks coffee is not on the same level as that of Aroma.

Aroma, which sells one and half tonnes of coffee a month, currently has eight cafes with another three are to be opened in the next two months. Balbinder said that the local coffee market is continuing to grow and has contributed to a decision to expand aggressively in the next year and a half.

Starbucks , which has been traded on Nasdaq since 1992, has a current market capitalization of $7.8 billion, with more than 4,500 retail locations in the US, Europe, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim. It is well represented in the Middle East with stores in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

The company was founded in 1971 and also sells tea, pastries, ice creams, other food and beverages, and coffee accessories. The company also has an on-line store as well as selling directly to restaurants, businesses, airlines, and hotels.

The Delek Group, which was founded in 1951, has three major subsidiaries: Israel Fuel Corporation, Delek Real Estate, and Delek Investments & Properties, a holding company for activities in automotive distribution and retailing, oil and gas exploration, biochemical manufacturing, convenience stores, and other retail operations. Delek is traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange at a value of NIS 2.8b.

 

[7]

Two "Standard replies" activists are receiving from Starbucks when they complaint about the recent speech Howard Schultz made:

First:

Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company.

Howard Schultz recently spoke at his local synagogue and shared his concern over the rise of anti-Semitism, which is linked to the growing crisis in the Middle East. Howard's position is pro-peace and for two nations to co-exist peacefully. His comments were not intended to be anti-Palestinian in any way. As part of his comments, Howard addressed the rising concern over terrorist acts overseas, specifically relating to the bombing of a synagogue in France. Howard does not believe the terrorism is representative of the Palestinian people. Howard was speaking as a private citizen and did not interview with the media regarding this subject, however several local media outlets did run portions of his speech.

Thank you again for contacting Starbucks. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact us at info@starbucks.com or call (800) 23-LATTE to speak with a customer relations representative.

Sincerely,

Customer Relations Starbucks Coffee Company

 

Second:

Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company.

Please find below the company statement regarding Howard Schultz's speech on April 4, 2002.  It is followed by Howard Schultz's personal statement in which he is speaking as a private citizen.

April 17, 2002 - Company Statement re: Howard Schultz Speech on April 4, 2002

Starbucks Coffee Company is deeply saddened by the current events in the Middle East.

As a company working with business partners around the world, we believe it is important for us to embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business and treat each other with respect and dignity. Starbucks, as a commercial organization, does not get involved in international or local
politics on principle.

We are aware that our chairman, Howard Schultz, recently spoke at a private gathering and commented on the current Middle East situation. However, we are unable to comment on his speech as he was speaking as a private citizen.

April 17, 2002 - Howard Schultz Personal Statement

"I deeply regret that my speech in Seattle was misinterpreted to be anti-Palestinian," said Howard Schultz.  "My position has always been pro-peace and for the two nations to co-exist peacefully.  I am deeply saddened by the current events in the Middle East."

Attribution: Howard Schultz

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at info@starbucks.com or call us at 1-800-235-2883 to speak directly with a customer relations representative.

Sincerely,
Customer Relations

 

[8]

Startbuck Coffe have partnerships with:

  • Hotels with Starbucks:

    Hyatt Hotels
    Marriott Hotels
    Starwood Hotels (Sheraton)
  • Bookstores with Starbucks:

    Canadian bookstore Chapters Inc
    Barnes & Noble, Inc bookstores
  • Albertson's Supermarkets
  • Special relationship with NY Times:

    Starbucks Coffee Company and The New York Times announced a strategic alliance in August 2000. Under this agreement, The New York Times is using its national advertising resources to promote Starbucks products and retail locations as a destination for readers. Although other local, daily newspapers will still be offered at Starbucks, The New York Times will be the only national newspaper sold across Starbucks extensive network of company-owned locations in the United States.

Source:

http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/friends.asp
http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/timeline.asp

 

[9]

Starbucks Coffee has 4,709 locations around the world in the following countries (Mulsim countries are shown in bold)

Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Canada
Germany
Greece
Hawaii
Hong Kong S.A.R.
Palestine (Israel )
Japan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Malaysia

Mexico
New Zealand
Oman
People`s Republic of China (Beijing)
People`s Republic of China (Shanghai)
Philippines
Qatar
Saudi Arabia

Singapore
South Korea
Spain
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States

Source:
:http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/internationaldev.asp

 

[10]

To locate your nearest Starbucks (internationally) see:

http://www.starbucks.com/retail/default.asp

 

[11]

Some activists have mentioned that starbucks provide a glossy pamplet "We'd love to hear your thoughts" for people to write their comments on.

If the pamplet includes free postage then we would urge all activists to use it for voicing their disgust at Starbucks CEO and at Starbucks policy to invest in apartheid Israel. Remember to provide your name and address and ask them to reply to you in writing otherwise your effort will simply be ignored.

Please read their standard response[7] before composing your complaint.

 

[12]

Acording to Yahoo Finance:

Howard Shultz's annual pay as Chairman of Starbucks is $2.2 Million, and last year he received an additional $22.6 Million from the value on options excercised in the fiscal year.[a]

Howard Shultz also has interests in the following companies:

  • Drugstore.com - Director with 1,592,246 shares (indirect) [b]
  • eBay Inc. - Director with 112,500 shares (indirect) [c]

[a] http://biz.yahoo.com/p/S/SBUX.html
[b] http://biz.yahoo.com/t/28/1051.html
[c] http://biz.yahoo.com/t/29/1051.html


Latest: 28 October 2004 - Howard Shultz has joined the board of directors of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc (buying 71,429 shares).[d]

[d] http://biz.yahoo.com/t/29/1051.html


[13]

Boycott Mapco Express & East Coast store-gas stations

An activist has pointed out that Delek (Starbucks Israeli partners) owns Mapco Express filling stations and convenience stores in Tennessee (198 stores) and East Coast convenience store-gas stations in Virginia (36 stores). These should be boycotted.

Source:

Alexander's Gas and Oil Connections Company News,
[Volume 6, issue #12 - 02-07-2001]
http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/company/cnn12792.htm

Delek completes acquisition of Mepco Express filling stations

[31-05-01] Delek Group said that it has completed its acquisition of 234 gas stations and convenience stores in the US for $ 234.5 mm. The acquisition consists of 198 Mapco Express filling stations and convenience stores in Tennessee in consideration for $ 147 mm and 36 East Coast convenience store-gas stations in Virginia for $ 36.5 mm The concerns will continue to carry their respective brands names following the transaction. Delek also announced that it is in the process of establishing Delek USA, a wholly owned US-based subsidiary which will conduct the company's American operations. The investment marks the Netanya-based company's first entrance into the overseas retail gasoline markets. Company president Avinoam Finkelman said that the decision to enter international markets is mostly due to eroding returns in the domestic market, a product, he believes of increased competition and government regulatory activity.

 

[14]

Starbucks Exits Israel

April 2, 2003

All six Starbucks cafes in Israel will be shut down at the end of the week, Starbucks Coffee International and the Delek Group said as they announced the end of their brief partnership. All 120 of the coffee chain's employees in Israel will be laid off.

According to Israel's Haaretz.com, poor sales and Delek's failure to find an investor to bail it out of a losing venture caused the decision to shut down the expensive coffeehouses. Starbucks Corp., the parent of Starbucks Coffee International, told Haaretz that its decision to dissolve the joint venture was driven by "market challenges," an allusion, the newspaper said, to "Israel's severe recession and security problems."

http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-news-0381.html

 

[15]

Starbucks Sponsers Israel Fundraiser

Bowl 4 Israel
Bowl-A-Thon 2002 & Bowl-A-Thon 2003 (9 Nov, 2003)

Starbucks sponsers "bowl 4 israel", one of the fund raisers for Israel organised by Elie Haller. Her last fund raiser was a barbeque that "raised $15,000 for a paratrooper unit in the Israel Defense Forces".[a] This time the money raised - some $50,000 was to be distributed to families of "Israeli terror victims" by the Israel Emergency Solidarity Fund (OneFamily).[a] [d] Innocent enough you may think, but you'd be wrong - apparently their definition of "terror victim" includes israeli soldiers who were killed whilst they were butchering Palestinian women and children during the Jenin massacre (April 2002). For April 2002, their spending record includes the following entry:

"P. W. lost his brother S. in an anti-terror operation in Jenin April 8, 2002. The family is left with eight children, of whom P. is the first to get married. OneFamily (Israel Emergency Solidarity Fund) gave them $1000 toward the wedding."[c]

So the fund rewards the families of war criminals for a job well done!


Perverted reality - provocative advert for the Israel Emergency Solidarity Fund.
In reality its this fund that rewards war criminals - the money they raise goes to,
among others, israeli soldiers who were wounded or killed whilst they were
butchering Palestinian women and children during the Jenin massacre

No wonder the page on the web-site for bowl4israel which showed Starbuck as the sole sponser is now mysteriously showing a blank space where starbucks appeared.[b] A peek at the html code for the page reveals that Starbucks name and logo are still there but have been hidden - commented out - no doubt to protect it from the boycott.


Original page showing Starbucks as the sponsor


New page shows an emtpy space for "Event Sponsor",
the html however reveals that the sole sponsor
Starbucks has been commented out

[a] http://www.bowl4israel.org/article_heilman.jsp

[b] http://www.bowl4israel.org/sponsors.jsp

[c] http://www.onefamilyfund.org/OF_Right_2.asp?ID=377

[d] Israel Emergency Solidarity Fund(IESF) raises money in the US and its israeli counterpart OnFamily spends it in Israel, the two organisations have officially merged together.
( http://www.yucommentator.com/news/2003/09/09/Israel/Israel.Emergency.Solidarity.Fund.Goes.Mia-458996.shtml )

 

[16]

ADL vouches for Starbucks zionist credentials

After Starbucks closed down its cafes in Israel[14], many zionists were upset and accused Starbucks of succumbing to the boycott. Some even suggested boycotting Starbucks:

It is time for all Americans to boycott Starbucks Coffee. Spread the word on this. They are stopping business relations with Israel, because like so many companies, people, and leaders in the world, they do not have the moral values or courage needed to do otherwise. Add this to the fact that Starbucks does tons of business in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, as well as other radical Arab countries who are working to destroy America. Where they will not pull out of and it makes it clear their stand is with the enemies of Israel and of America. Standing is something that takes moral value and courage today.And their stand indicates the lack of quality of their product. Starbucks has chosen. NOW is the time for us to choose to boycott. Let's call on everyone we can to boycott Starbucks.. [a]

Its interesting to observe that it was the ultra-zionist Anti-Defamation League (ADL) that came to Starbucks rescue[b] and put down the zionist backlash against it. (For those unaware of the activities of the ADL see http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-news-0313.html ). As the New York Times put it:

“Perhaps the most effective of the company's weapons used to combat the rumor, experts said, came from the Anti-Defamation League, which lent its support. Starbucks, which is based in Seattle, did not place any messages refuting the rumor on its Web site. But the Anti-Defamation League contacted the company to investigate the matter and later circulated the company's message to interested parties on its Web site and in telephone calls.”

It also quoted Starbuck chairman Howard Shultz, describing him as "a Jewish American who has long been supportive of Jewish organizations and causes in the United States and in Israel", saying that the company will return to Israel in due course.[a]

See also [17] for another zionist defence of Starbucks.

Many other zionist groups also came to Starbucks defence including the Jewish Council for Public Affairs whose alert[d] states:

"The chairman of Starbucks is an avid Zionist who opened the stores in Israel despite the ongoing violence. Coffee is serious business in Israel, and Starbucks was unable to penetrate the market."

[a] http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-starbucks_israel.htm

[b] http://www.adl.org/rumors/starbucks_rumors.asp

[c] New York Times, “New Economy” by Sherri Day Monday, June 2, 2003

[d] http://www.e-guana.net/organizations.php3?action=printContentItem&orgid=54&
typeID=88&itemID=4758

 

[17]

Starbucks support War of Terror

Starbucks have donated a store to the US army to help in the occupation of Afghanistan. See photos below from Afghanistan of US troops thanking Starbucks for their donation:


Starbucks "proudly serving" the occupation of Afghanistan

Source:
US Soldiers Thank Starbucks For Their Coffee Donation - Set Up Mini Starbucks Store in Afghanistan, http://www.boycottwatch.org/misc/starbucks4.htm

NB: Boycott Watch is a zionist organisation[a] which provides the above photos as part of their campaign to support Starbucks from any possible zionist boycott for closing its stores in Israel.

[a] "Boycott Watch and the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) are
leading the fight against divestment and boycott campaigns against
Israel."

Src: http://www.boycottwatch.org/abi/divest001.htm

 

Also according to the American Forces Press Service Nov.9 2004:

Starbucks Chief Executive Officer Jim Donald said during a Capitol Hill press conference today in the office of U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks that his company would provide 50,000 pounds of free, whole-bean coffee that will be brewed and distributed by Red Cross workers to troops serving in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.

"It's important that we show the support – and we have shown support -- for our troops overseas," Donald explained. In fact, he said, Starbucks, headquartered in Seattle, has 80 employees in the military now deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And many of Starbuck's 85,000 employees, Donald pointed out, have friends and family members serving overseas in the military. Starbuck's partnership with the Red Cross, he noted, "is just a way of reaching into the community and supporting troops from all over the U.S."

Src: Starbucks, Red Cross 'Bring a Bit of Home' to Overseas Troops, by Gerry J. Gilmore, American Forces Press Service, Nov. 9, 2004

[18]

Starbucks Leaflet

One of our readers has designed a leaflet on Starbucks:
Starbucks Contribution To Violence (PDF 1.3Mb)

Please note that we cannot take responsibility for the contents of the leaflet as we did not produce it, it does however seem to be based on the research above (thanks NEdo Sul)

URL: http://www.inminds.com/boycott-starbucks.html