TNews - JAKARTA — The discourse surrounding the boycott of products allegedly supporting Israel through the Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions (BDS) Movement has resurfaced, and this time, AXA Insurance is at the center of attention. The management of PT AXA Mandiri Financial Services has issued a firm response to these allegations. According to Atria Amino Rai, Chief Communication Officer of AXA Mandiri Financial Services, AXA Group does not support military aggression or territorial occupation in Israel. This statement was made during a press conference by AAJI in Jakarta on Wednesday, November 29, 2023.
Atria Amino Rai emphasized that the news released by the BDS Movement is untrue, and AXA Group is not a product that supports Israel or is pro-Israel. "From the AXA Group perspective, the news released by BDS, that we support military aggression or territorial occupation in Israel, is not true," Atria stated firmly. She continued by affirming that AXA Group conducts its business in compliance with international regulations and norms, particularly in the context of upholding human rights.
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"That news [included in the BDS list] is not true, and AXA completely does not support military aggression. We are very compliant in conducting business, including products and others, in accordance with existing regulations and international laws and the enforcement of human rights. Not at all, not at all [pro-Israel]," she emphasized. This clarification is a response to the BDS Movement's efforts to boycott companies deemed involved or supportive of Israel.
The BDS Movement categorizes the products targeted for boycott into four categories. Firstly, "consumer boycott targets" involve a complete boycott of a product due to the track record of the owning company proven to support Israel. In this category, AXA is listed alongside other major companies such as Siemens, Puma, Carrefour, and Hewlett Packard (HP).
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Secondly, "divestment targets" involve actions to pressure governments, institutions, and investment bodies to withdraw their investments (divest) from companies proven to be involved in supporting Israel's occupation of Palestine. HD Hyundai, Volvo, Barclays, Chevron, CAF, and several other companies are divestment targets in various sectors, including banking, manufacturing, and weapons production.
The third category is "pressure (non-boycott) targets," which is a movement to encourage a product or service to cease its direct support for Israel. Although products or services in this category are not directly boycotted by the BDS Movement, this movement aims to exert pressure on the entities involved. Google, Amazon, Airbnb, Expedia, and Disney are examples of entities included in this third boycott category.
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Lastly, the fourth category is "organic boycott targets." In this category, the boycott targets on products or services are not directly imposed by the BDS Movement. However, this movement supports boycotting these products or services because of their perceived support for the genocide carried out by Israel against Palestine. Examples of boycott targets in this fourth category include McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, and several others.
Meanwhile, AXA Mandiri Financial Services' response highlights the stringent oversight and commitment of the company to international aspects involving human rights. The AXA Group ensures that all of its business activities comply with regulations and international laws, dismissing BDS Movement claims against AXA products as unfounded. This statement is expected to open further dialogue on this sensitive issue and provide clarification to the public regarding the company's position in the complex context of the Israel-Palestine conflict.