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In
January 2012, ELLE Magazine ran a piece on “Sea
Salt Benefits” that featured Ahava and described
the company's plant near the shores of the
Dead Sea as being in Israel. We wrote a response
to correct this erroneous assertion.
April Long,
Senior Writer, ELLE Magazine
1271 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10020
18 January 2012
Dear April Long,
 In
“Sea Salt Benefits” in ELLE's January
2012 issue, you describe Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories'
production facility as located in Israel. In fact,
while Ahava's corporate headquarters are based
in Holon, Israel, Ahava's plant is in the
West Bank settlement of Mitzpe Shalem. All Israeli
settlements in the Occupied Palestinian territory
of the West Bank, including Mitzpe Shalem, are illegal under international law
according to the International Court of Justice,
all major human rights organizations, the Israeli
human rights organization B'Tselem, the UN, and
almost all governments worldwide. Not only is
Ahava's factory based in an illegal settlement,
but also the company's profits subsidize
Mitzpe Shalem and the settlement of Kalia, both
of which are co-owners of the enterprise. Even
worse, we have documentation showing that the
Israeli Civil Administration has allowed Ahava
to source the mud used in its products from the
occupied shores of the Dead Sea in direct contravention
of the Geneva Convention's ban on the pillage
of occupied natural resources. By misleading your
readers about the location of the plant, you deprive
them of the details they would need to make an
informed decision about whether or not they want
to purchase Israeli settlement goods—products
supporting a vast, illegal settlement enterprise
that is widely regarded around the world as an
impediment to peace in the region.
I have enclosed a map of Israel and the West
Bank so you can see the exact location of Mitzpe
Shalem and Kalia (where the mud is harvested).
I have also included some recent press clips regarding
a controversy in which Ahava is embroiled in the
U.K. If you should want to learn more about the
international boycott campaign against Ahava Dead
Sea Laboratories because of the company's
illegal practices, you can visit our web site
www. stolenbeauty.org. You are also welcome to
contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Nancy Kricorian
Campaign Manager, Stolen Beauty Ahava Boycott
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