A week after announcing it would stop serving the Israeli halva snack due to the sensitivities of many of its customers, Brussels Airlines decided to reinstate the snack after coming under heavy criticism from Israel and around the world.
Last week, Brussels Airlines announced it would stop serving its passengers the halva snack following complaints by the Palestine Solidarity Movement, a proponent of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. A passenger had alerted the group about the snack.
Brussels Airlines announced it would stop offering halva because the company that makes the Israeli snack, Achva, is situated in the Barkan Industrial Park near the city of Ariel in Samaria.
“We’re an airline catering to a large international audience, it’s our responsibility to offer products that please all,” the airline said in its earlier statement on pulling the halva. “Therefore, we decided to take the halva bars off the menu and replace it with another product.”
United with Israel sent out a call to action which turned out to be hugely successful as our faithful readers flooded the Brussels Airlines Facebook page with messages of protest.
After coming under a barrage of criticism, accusations of racism, cancellations and threats to cancel, the Belgian airline rethought its twisted, hypocritical policy and decided, justly, to reinstate the delicious snack on its flights.
“It is clear that Achva remains one of our trusted suppliers without any distinction related to the origin of the product, and therefore we will continue to accept Achva’s products on board our flights, especially given its positive role in the community,” the Brussels Airlines statement read.
The change was brought about by “the quick work of the Foreign Ministry, at the direction of Dore Gold, the deputy head of public advocacy and the advocacy unit, and our embassies in Brussels and Berlin,” according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry statement.
By: United with Israel Staff
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