An investigation by the British Financial Times newspaper revealed a strange behavior of the American e-commerce company Amazon, offering free shipping of goods to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, but it requires the Palestinians to include Israel as an address for them to receive the same service.
Amazon began selling to Israel in November, and it provides free shipping service for residents of Israeli settlements in the West Bank for orders over $ 49.
The British newspaper said it had examined all the addresses of the West Bank that were listed as Israel by the Israeli human rights organization Peace Now, and found that the Amazon offer extended to almost all of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank that are illegal under international law.
The newspaper stated that the American giant company requires the Palestinians to put Israel as an address for them to receive the free service itself, and in the event that "Palestinian areas" are placed in the address box, they will be subject to shipping and packaging fees in excess of $ 24.
"The Palestinian customers in the West Bank can still receive free shipping as long as they choose Israel as their shipping address," the British newspaper quoted Amazon spokesman Nick Caplin as saying.
Kaplin claimed that this discrepancy is a logistical problem, and not a sign of any other consideration.
"In November we launched an offer for free shipping to customers inside Israel, but this offer does not include the Palestinian territories," he said, adding that "the problem lies in the deliveries that must pass through customs and additional inspections at the borders controlled by Israel, and then it must Delivered to another local delivery company. "
| Amazon's offer to residents of Israeli settlements led to a parcel flow to settlers (Getty Images) |
100 to 200 parcels per day
It is mentioned that until last year Amazon was present in Israel only as a way to buy from international sellers, a restriction that means high prices and long delivery times, but that changed in 2019, as the company lured local sellers to use the platform to sell their goods locally and globally, in addition to launching a copy In Hebrew, from its website last August.
Given the high retail prices in Israel compared to income, and the limited local competition for consumer goods, Amazon's arrival was good news for many Israelis.
The newspaper quoted Meir Cohen - a post office clerk in the West Bank settlement of Efrat, which includes about ten thousand Israelis - that the parcels have increased dramatically in recent months, and said, "Every day we get a hundred or two hundred parcels from Amazon," and described the latest influx as "insane". ".
It is incumbent upon all Arabs to boycott the Amazon, after requiring the Palestinians to write Israel instead of Palestine, to enjoy free shipping - Sultan Abdo 2 (@ 045d9ea01e32459) February 17, 2020 |
racism
The British newspaper considered that Amazon practiced blatant racial discrimination among potential clients based on their nationality.
It quoted human rights activists as saying that "by offering an exclusive discount to addresses listed as Israeli settlements in the West Bank and not Palestinian lands, Amazon is locked in a geopolitical conflict that is increasingly creating two sets of laws for two increasingly intertwined (Palestinian and Israeli) populations."
According to the Israeli Jerusalem Post, human rights organizations and peace activists have criticized the Amazon policy, including the Israeli "Peace Now" human rights organization, which considered in a statement that "the Amazon policy represents a clear distinction between potential clients because of their nationality and whereabouts."
Amazon in an announcement to be shipped free to the Palestinians when filling in the "country" shipping request that Israel chooses what it means !!! |
Calls to boycott
The Palestinians, in turn, criticized Amazon's policy, demanding its boycott, and Palestinian activist Yusef Shrouf said in a tweet on Twitter that "Amazon is a partner in crime."
Al-Shrouf added, "With all rudeness, it provides free delivery services to settlers, and charges up to $ 24 if the buyer is a Palestinian."
For his part, activist Jihad Helles said in another tweet, "Amazon International is trying to blackmail the people of Palestine by making the shipment of goods free if they choose the option of the state of Israel instead of the option of the Palestinian territories."
"He who sacrificed his blood, freedom, and all his money, and not wasted an inch of his country's soil, can in no way be blackmailed by a handful of money from here or there," he added.
The Palestinian activist called for a boycott of the American company, which he considered was practicing racism against the Palestinians.