Campaign Against Antisemitism has accused Amazon of promoting incitement against Israel by continuing to sell apparel that displays anti-Semitic slogans and images.
The online giant currently sells shirts that are emblazoned with the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which calls for the forced removal of Jews from their homeland and for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state. The description for one such shirt says “Free Palestine, defend Palestinian people, defund Israel” while another description says, “End Israeli occupation.”
One brand selling on Amazon is called Free Palestine Intifada Clothing and in the description for one of its shirts, it says: “If you believe in a future where there is an end to Israeli occupation and Palestine and the Gaza Strip will be finally free this t-shirt is perfect to increase awareness. May the Palestine flag wave-free again and the innocent deaths come to an end.”
Some apparel sold by Amazon features the image of a machine gun or a crossed-out Star of David while others promote a boycott of Israel, CAA said.
The Jewish Chronicle first reported on the clothing last week and cited Lord John Mann, the British government’s anti-Semitism adviser, who found the items “appalling” and said, “We will need to consider whether additional sanctions can be initiated to stop this type of supplier facilitating the spreading of hatred.”
CAA said on Wednesday that it wrote to Amazon about the anti-Semitic garments, but the clothing remains available for purchase online.
A spokesperson for CAA said: “The chant of ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ … is an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the international definition of anti-Semitism. Images of maps with the Jewish state erased only reinforce the genocidal sentiment behind the slogan. Amazon should make clear that its marketplace is no place for anti-Semitic incitement and remove these products from sale.”
