Wednesday 5 February 2014

How 'The Jump' legitimises the illegal occupation of Palestine

'The Jump' is pretty trashy television, and is part of the inevitable build up to what looks like the most repressive and homophobic Winter Olympics imaginable.

But it is not the poor quality television or even the lack of will to address Russia's vicious discriminatory policies that bother me most about Chanel 4s latest 'reality TV' offering.

It is the shows sponsorship by 'SodaStream'. Many of us thought that SodaStream had been eradicated at the end of the eighties on the grounds that each supposedly different flavour of carbonated water tasted exactly the same. It turns out though that they are still going strong, producing their machines in parts of occupied Palestine.

The Israeli fizzy drinks machine-maker has a factory in the industrial zone of Maale Adumim - a Jewish settlement built on occupied land to the east of Jerusalem.

Under most interpretations of international law - although not Israel's - building homes and businesses on such territory is illegal.

I only found out that SodaStream were such a toxic company when Oxfam announced that Scarlet Johansson was no longer able to continue as one of their ambassadors because of her advertising deal with the company. Oxfam quite rightly could not endorse an ambassador who openly supported the breaking UN resolutions concerning the illegal settlements.

So another reason to hate 'The Jump'. I can now only think of one thing that could be worse: 'Splash' sponsored by Wonga.com

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