SodaStream proud to be Israeli

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Israel-based beverage carbonation company SodaStream has decided to feature an Israeli flag on all its products, which are sold in 45 countries.

"The company management wants to send a message of national pride, particularly in days when many of us hide our Israeli identity from the world," the company, which manufactures sparkling water makers for home use, said in a statement.

The Israeli flag is accompanied by the English message reading, "This product is made by Arabs and Jews working side by side in peace and harmony." SodaStream has been a target of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement over its former headquarters in the West Bank industrial park of Mishor Adumim. That facility's closure had forced SodaStream to lay off most of its 500 Palestinian employees. SodaStream relocated to the Negev desert region.

SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum said that "as a proud Israeli company, we have always taken care to keep our Israeli profile high, even if that means fighting for our place in the face of the European Union and economic terrorism from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement... In recent years, we Israelis have found ourselves under attack, apologizing and boycotted all over the world. We may not be perfect, but we have a lot to be proud of, and we decided to show that to ourselves and to the world."