Boycott Starbucks: A Focus on Palestine and Alleged Support for Israel

Starbucks, the global coffeehouse chain, has been the subject of a boycott movement due to its alleged support for Israel and its handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict. This article aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the reasons behind this boycott and its implications.

The Catalyst for the Boycott

The boycott was sparked by a controversy involving a union affiliated with Starbucks, known as Starbucks Workers United. Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, the union expressed support for Palestine in a social media post. Starbucks responded by threatening to sue the union, alleging trademark infringement.

The company’s reaction to the union’s stance has been met with backlash. Many customers were appalled that Starbucks took such a strong stance against the notion of solidarity with the people of Palestine and decided to boycott the company.

Alleged Support for Israel

Even though Starbucks has no official policy on Israel, and the company claims not to support any political causes, especially those connected to Israel, with donations or public statements, there have been allegations of Starbucks’ support for Israel. These allegations have fueled the boycott movement, with protesters in Turkey and Indonesia calling for customers to abandon the chain.

Howard Schultz and His Alleged Support for Israel

Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, has been a significant figure in these allegations. Schultz has been reported to call himself an ‘active Zionist,’ and he has made significant investments in Israeli companies. Schultz, who served as the CEO and chairman of Starbucks for 14 years, has also made significant investments in the tech industry. He invested in the Israeli cybersecurity startup Wiz through his VC firm Maveron Capital. Wiz was founded in early 2020 and has seen rapid growth, with its valuation soaring to $6 billion after raising $250 million in its latest funding round. This investment came just four months after Wiz raised $120 million with Salesforce Ventures; Blackstone; Aglaé Ventures, the venture investment company of Bernard Arnault, the chairman and CEO of LMVH Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton, and one of the wealthiest men in the world; and Howard Schultz. Wiz’s agent-less technology provides security coverage of a company’s entire cloud environment “in minutes” for rapid risk reduction. It now counts over 10 per cent of the Fortune 500 as customers. Wiz is a security intelligence Software-as-a-Service company and despite no evidence of being affiliated with the IDF, it acquired another Israeli startup called Raftt. Raftt’s founders both served in the Intelligence Corps of the IDF.

In 1998, Howard Schultz was awarded ‘The Israel 50th Anniversary Friend of Zion Tribute Award’ by The Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah. This was noted on Starbucks’s site but has been removed since. The award was for “playing a key role in promoting a close alliance between the United States and Israel”.

Schultz is a major stakeholder in Starbucks, owning approximately 1.9% of the company. He is also a board member of Starbucks. Despite stepping down as CEO, Schultz plans to remain on the company’s board. His significant stake in the company and his position on the board mean that he continues to have a substantial influence on Starbucks’ policies and practices.

Impact of the Boycott

The boycott of Starbucks has shown the power of consumers to hold corporations accountable for their actions. Starbucks’s reputation has been damaged indefinitely due to its complicity in human rights violations. From November 16th to December 8th, Starbucks lost $11 billion in market value, a staggering blow to its profitability and growth. As a consumer, you should feel empowered to boycott all those companies that are complicit and know that you can make a significant impact. The voting power of your wallet is huge, you can force businesses to change their practices and respect the rights and dignity of all people. Palestine has taught us that we have a voice and we have strength, even if all other forces are against us.

Conclusion

The boycott of Starbucks for the Palestinian people is a powerful and effective way of showing solidarity and demanding justice. Starbucks has a long history of supporting Israel and its board members have close ties with pro-Israeli organizations. By refusing to buy their products, we are sending a clear message that we do not accept their complicity in the oppression and occupation of Palestine. We are also hitting them where it hurts: their profits. Starbucks has lost $11 billion in market value since the boycott started, and this will only increase as more people join the movement. We urge everyone who cares about human rights and dignity to join us in boycotting Starbucks until they end their support for Israel and its violations of international law.

Sources

Israeli cybersecurity firm Wiz raises $250m, soaring to $6b valuation. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-cybersecurity-firm-wiz-raises-250m-soaring-to-6b-valuation/.

Howard Schultz – Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/profile/howard-schultz/.

Cloud security startup Wiz, now valued at $10B, raises $300M. https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/27/cloud-security-startup-wiz-now-valued-at-10b-raises-300m/.

Howard Schultz – Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Schultz.

Starbucks Announces Transitions to Its Board of Directors. https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2023/starbucks-announces-transitions-to-its-board-of-directors/.

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz steps down from board of … – CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/13/business/howard-schultz-starbucks-board/index.html.

The Top 5 Shareholders of Starbucks – Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/insights/052416/top-4-starbucks-shareholders-sbux.asp.

Howard Schultz – Jewish Virtual Library. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/howard-schultz