International sports brand Reebok has cancelled plans to launch a special edition trainers celebrating Israel’s “Independence Day”, the Electronic Intifada reports.
“Reebok would like to distance itself from the shoe,” the US-headquartered company told The Electronic Intifada in an emailed statement yesterday.
“The shoe was a one-off initiative from one of our consumers. We do not support this initiative.”
Reebok, which is owned by Germany’s Adidas Group, added that its Israel distributor “has withdrawn its plans to auction off this shoe.”
Palestinians have welcomed the move.
“Reebok has distanced itself from this terribly offensive initiative after recognizing the reputational and financial price a BDS campaign against it would have cost it as a result,” Abdulrahman Abunahel, Gaza Coordinator of the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), told The Electronic Intifada.
“Companies as large as Veolia, Orange, CRH and others have ended their involvement in Israel’s serious violations of international law after intense boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns, triggering a domino effect that many other companies are taking to heart,” Abunahel added.
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