IPMN, Presbyterian Mission Network, Joins the Interfaith Coalition Boycott of Sodastream
January 29, 2013 — The Israel Palestine Mission Network of PC(USA), as a member of the Interfaith Boycott Coalition, joins the Coalition in announcing its boycott of all Sodastream products. The Interfaith Coalition is an organization under the umbrella of the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation. Sodastream's main production site is in Mishor Edomim, an Israeli settlement industrial park near the Ma'ale Adummim settlement in the West Bank. The land was illegally confiscated by Israeli military occupation authorities from Palestinian owners.
The announcement of the Coalition's boycott campaign comes just a few days before the Superbowl on CBS, which will air Sodastream advertisements during the telecast.
The Coalition itself is the first major cooperative boycott effort by many different faith traditions. The list includes:
American Muslims for Peace
Church of the Brethren
Jewish Voice for Peace
The Palestine Israel Network of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship
Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East
Friends of Sabeel North America
The United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network
The United Methodist Kairos Response
The Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Members of the Catholic, Lutheran, Mennonite and Quaker denominations
The Coalition is a relatively new organization that creates a faith-based wing within the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation, which is comprised of nearly 400 organizations.
In joining the Coalition, IPMN is responding to the clear mandate of the 220th PC(USA) General Assembly (2012) in Pittsburgh that called for Presbyterians to boycott all products from illegal Israeli settlements. Even as IPMN joins with the Coalition in this monumental effort, the network also remains a leader in advocating boycott of many other settlement goods.
For additional information about the efforts of the Interfaith Boycott Coalition, please see www.sodastreamboycott.org
Rev. Dr. Jeffrey DeYoe
Advocacy Chair
The Israel Palestine Mission Network
of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
info@theIPMN.org