Yes, Coke has a Gaza factory. But its Israel ties run much deeper

Historically, there have been only two circumstances in which someone might avoid uttering someone else's name: sheer terror or over-the-top reverence. 

Think of it like this: you're either cowering like a house-elf before Lord Voldemort, he-who-must-not-be-named, or you're a Bangali wife desperately avoiding uttering the sacred syllables of your husband's name, as well as his elder brothers.

This brings us to the question: What on earth is Israel to Coca-Cola that in their latest "eye opener" OVC they were referring to Israel as 'Oi jayga' (that place) instead of taking the actual name?

The use of 'Oi jayga' just destroys any feeble attempt by the cola company to distance themselves from Israel and debunk the allegations levied by the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaign that the company funds Israeli military to run atrocities in Gaza, as well as profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

More importantly, the sheer audacity to reduce an issue concerning the brand's 'alleged' association with a nation accused of genocide to mere mockery, especially of those trying to take a stance by boycotting the brand's products, is truly mind-blowing.

It's quite hilarious the way they tried to dismiss the boycott calls as simple rumour-mongering, posing as the ultimate "fact checkers," as if everyone had their heads buried in the sand until this particular OVC came along to save the day.

While pronouncing the glorious 138-year history of the cola company, the OVC also conveniently forgot that Coca-Cola was actually slapped with a 20-year blacklist by the Arab League, beginning in 1966. This ban was triggered by the granting of an Israeli bottling franchise to Manhattan Banker Abraham Feinberg, who also happened to be president of the Israel Development Corp, promoting Bonds for Israel.

But even if you overlook this part, considering it as the kind of mindless drivel you'd expect from C-grade "comedy" dramas, you can't ignore the later segments where the OVC proudly pointed out that Coca-Cola is guzzled down in Turkey, Spain, and Dubai, and there's even a Coke factory in Palestine.

This is where things go from bad to worse.

Clearly the OVC makers were oblivious of the fact that Turkey's parliament removed Coca-Cola and Nestle products from its restaurants in as early as November last year, over their alleged support for Israel amid the conflict in Gaza.

"The products of companies that support Israel will not be sold in restaurants, cafeterias and tea houses in the parliament campus," Reuters quoted Turkey's Grand National Assembly as saying at the time.

So, there flies out the window the claim that every other country, including the Muslim-majority ones, are drinking Coca-Cola as always, while only Bangladeshis are being led astray by some Sultan Sulaiman (yes, they even had to toss this name in to take a jab at… who knows?). 

While pronouncing the glorious 138-year history of the cola company, the OVC also conveniently forgot that Coca-Cola was actually slapped with a 20-year blacklist by the Arab League, beginning in 1966. This ban was triggered by the granting of an Israeli bottling franchise to Manhattan Banker Abraham Feinberg, who also happened to be president of the Israel Development Corp, promoting Bonds for Israel.

In 1997, the Government of Israel Economic Mission honoured Coca-Cola at the Israel Trade Award Dinner for "its continued support of Israel for the last 30 years" and for "refusing to abide by the Arab League boycott of Israel." 

Since then, Coca-Cola has frequently been at the receiving end of boycott calls due to their affiliation with Israel, on top of being an American brand. 

Now, let's address the elephant in the room, which the OVC makers clearly thought was crucial enough to make the focal point of their campaign: Is it true that Coca-Cola has a factory in Palestine?

Yes, it is. 

The opening of a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Gaza was once deemed nearly impossible until Palestinian Christian Zahi Khouri returned from America to establish the factory in 1998. 

Coca-Cola's website highlights Khouri's role and the impact of National Beverage Company (NBC), Coke's Palestinian subsidiary, in Palestine. NBC employs 1,000 people across its facilities, including Gaza, and indirectly supports 10,000 Palestinians through its value chain. 

So yes, the OVC did have a point here. But a point so small that you'd need a magnifying glass to see it.  

Because one should not forget that Coca-Cola's factories in occupied territories are also considered contentious. It has long been alleged that Coca-Cola has a factory in Atarot, an illegal Israeli settlement built on land taken from Palestinians. Palestinian communities are forcibly removed to make way for such settlements, which are illegal under international law. 

The #NotInMyFridge campaign by Friends of Al Aqsa calls for a boycott of Coca-Cola because by having a franchise in Atarot, Coca-Cola is accused of ignoring international law and profiting from the illegal occupation. 

The United Nations in 2020 blacklisted the company for operating in illegal Israeli settlements.

In the past, there has also been proof of Coca-Cola donating to the Zionist cause, as a document from the Israel Corporations Authority revealed that Israel's Coca-Cola franchisee, the Central Bottling Company, donated $13,850 (50,000 shekels) to extremist Zionist group Im Tirtzu in 2015.

So, does Coca-Cola having a factory in Palestine really make any difference in the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza?

Let's go back to March 2022, when Coca-Cola suspended its business in Russia amidst the "tragic events in Ukraine." But the company hasn't done anything like this in protest of the Israeli aggression in Gaza? 

Perhaps they don't consider the events unfolding in Gaza tragic enough, which only shows they are following the storied tradition of Western hypocrisy when it comes to human rights of Palestinian people.

Notably, the OVC we are discussing is not the first instance of Coca-Cola attempting "damage control" amid the ongoing boycott calls in Bangladesh and other parts of the world.

Only a few days ago, Coca-Cola ran a full-page advertisement in a leading Bangla daily, attempting to emphasise local production and emotional connections with the beverage. 

In a statement issued earlier this week, Coca-Cola Malaysia also claimed that calls for a boycott were based on "false information" and rumours, and a "lack of understanding" of the company's Middle East operations.

"Coca-Cola and our local bottler NBC, have a long-standing commitment to the Palestinian market, having begun production in 1998, and we are today one of the largest employers in the territories," it said.

As of 2016, Coca-Cola, through NBC, was the third-largest employer in Palestine.

There's also an entire page on their website titled "Does Coca-Cola send any of its profits to the Israeli army?" through which the company attempts to refute such allegations. 

But here in Bangladesh, the latest OVC was so strange on so many levels that you can't put it in the basket of any specific genre. Some are dubbing it a glaring example of "crisis communication gone wrong." But the OVC didn't feel like crisis communication at all.

Boycott calls against Coca-Cola and some other products allegedly associated with funding the Israeli army began circulating soon after the Israel-Hamas war started in October last year. It's been eight months since then, so it's not as if Coca-Cola has suddenly been confronted with a crisis and hastily produced this OVC without ample time for consideration.

Since October last year, the company has had plenty of time to devise some truly effective campaign plans. It's worth noting that during this time frame, they also launched a new season of Coke Studio Bangla, which remained a constant topic of conversation in the country.

Therefore, it's not like this was an impulsive decision on the part of Coca-Cola Bangladesh and its creative agency. We should see it as a well-thought-out decision, and evaluate it as such. 

So, did Coca-Cola really need to create an advertisement like this, which sounded half-hearted, focused on tangential aspects of the argument rather than addressing the main concerns of the people, was riddled with straw man fallacies, and clearly attempted to portray Bangladeshis concerned about the Palestine issue as nothing but fools?

It didn't. Yet it did, and this may very well go down in history as one of the most self-destructive campaigns of all time.