US actress Scarlett Johansson has defended her decision to appear in advertisements for the Israeli company SodaStream, which operates a factory in the West Bank.
Johansson, who stepped down as an ambassador of the charity Oxfam after the charity had criticized her choice to feature in the ads, said in an interview with the UK newspaper 'The Observer' that the case against the SodaStream factory was "something that's very easily debatable."
Johansson said: "I stand by that decision." She added: "I was aware of that particular factory before I signed. And it still doesn't seem like a problem - at least not until someone comes up with a solution to the closing of that factory and leaving all those people destitute." She added that she saw the SodaStream factory "as a model for some sort of movement forward in a seemingly impossible situation."
Regarding the issue of Israeli settlements, Johansson said that she "was literally plunged into a conversation that's way grander and larger than this one particular issue. And there's no right side or wrong side leaning on this issue." She slammed Oxfam for supporting the BDS movement and said: "I think for a non-governmental organization to be supporting something that's supporting a political cause … something feels not right about that to me.”
In January, the World Jewish Congress applauded Johansson "for her forthright defense of economic cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians and for standing up to the international bullies. She is a role model for others confronted with insidious anti-Israel pressure, and we encourage other Hollywood, media and entertainment personalities to follow her lead."
SodaStream, a maker of home carbonation products, employs around 500 Palestinian workers at a factory in the West Bank city of Ma'ale Adumim and gives them equal pay than their Israeli co-workers.
