Palestinians lose SodaStream jobs after Israel boycott

Hebron, the largest city in the West Bank, has always been a source of tensions, with several hundred Israeli settlers living in the heart of the city under heavy military guard among around 200,000 Palestinians.

SodaStream was at the centre of controversy following the signing in 2014 of actress Scarlett Johansson as a spokeswoman and the ensuing furor over its West Bank factory.

Tehran announced last week assistance would be offered to families of Palestinians killed in the wave of violence that erupted in October, but the PA says such aid must follow official channels.

The final 74 employees had been commuting to the company’s new location in the Negev desert since the plant in Maale Adumim closed in October.

Kenyatta visited occupied East Jerusalem and what is considered an illegal Israeli settlement in the Jordan Valley by the Palestinian people.

Americans’ views regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have remained consistent over the past year, suggesting a pro-Israel stance, according to a recent Gallup poll.

The company had planned to have a going-away ceremony for them, Agence France Presse reported Monday.

Israeli security forces have killed at least 170 Palestinians, 112 of whom Israel says were assailants, while most others were shot dead during violent anti-Israeli protests.

SodaStream, which produces a pressurized cylinder to create carbonated drinks, employed 1,300 workers at its West Bank plant.

COGAT, the defence ministry body responsible for coordinating Israeli government activity in the Palestinian territories, declined to comment on the redundancies but reiterated that it had helped facilitate the movement of the factory.

Elkin said all this has led to a situation in which a new Palestinian generation has been raised on hatred and has spawned 13-year-old children who leave school and go out to kill Jews.