Cola Gaza: A New Alternative in the Middle East

A Break from Tradition

The bright red, 250-milliliter tin certainly looks like a can of Coke. That is, if Coca-Cola decided to swap “Coca” for “Gaza” in its name and emblazoned its classic design with a Palestinian flag, complete with Arabic calligraphy and a red keffiyeh on top. It even tastes pretty similar too, albeit more akin to the candy cola bottles than the classic soft drink itself.

Breaking Away from Boycotts

But Cola Gaza doesn’t aspire to be Coke. Rather, it hopes to become an alternative for those who have since turned away from the iconic brand.

A New Era in the Middle East

Cola Gaza, which entered the U.K. market this month, is one such alternative. Palestine Drinks, a Sweden-based brand that launched in March and supplies the E.U., the U.K., and South Africa, is another. Mohamed Kiswani, the communications director of Safad Food, the Palestinian-owned parent company of Palestine Drinks, tells TIME that the demand for the soda has been overwhelming. “We had no idea that it would be this popular,” he says, noting that the brand has sold roughly 16 million cans in the last five months, the proceeds of which go towards projects supporting Palestinian civil society in the West Bank and Gaza.

A Global Movement

International boycott campaigns against Israel are hardly new. Indeed, the Palestinian-led grassroots movement for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions has been putting pressure on Israeli and international companies believed to be complicit in violating Palestinian rights since 2005. Nor is the emergence of new brands seeking to capitalize on such boycotts. During the Second Intifada, a deadly Palestinian uprising in the early aughts that grew out of the collapse of the Oslo peace process, brands such as “Mecca Cola” and “Qibla Cola” emerged as Coke alternatives. While the former marketed itself as part of a wider boycott of American goods over Washington’s support for Israel, the latter billed itself as an ethical alternative for Muslims who “are increasingly questioning the role some major multinationals play in our societies.”

Consumer Boycotts and Brand Response

Consumer boycotts have typically followed most all Gaza wars, including those in 2008-09, 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2021. But unlike previous wars, which lasted days and weeks at a time, the current one is in its 11th month, with no apparent end in sight.

BDS: A Growing Impact

“BDS has shown complicit companies that the price they must pay for being implicated in Israel’s crimes against Palestinians is steep and will get even steeper still,” Omar Barghouti, a co-founder of the BDS movement, tells TIME, noting that the movement’s effectiveness has been a boon for local alternatives, particularly in the Middle East. “These trends indicate that the boycott impact on these brands will most likely be long term.”

Conclusion

Whether these boycotts do have a long-term impact on consumer behavior remains to be seen. While they have given many of those aggrieved by the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza a sense of agency, previous iterations haven’t necessarily resulted in the kind of changed consumer habits that activists may be hoping for. However, as the stigma around these brands lasts, the more time it gives consumers to develop new habits – ones that may not necessarily end when the war does. “A year is a long time that people may have started to develop a taste for buying other products, and that habit is not going to just go away because a ceasefire comes around.”

FAQs

Q: What is the difference between Cola Gaza and Cola Coke?
A: Cola Gaza is a new alternative soft drink brand that aims to be a more ethical and socially responsible alternative to Cola Coke.

Q: Who is behind the production of Cola Gaza?
A: Cola Gaza is produced by Palestine Drinks, a Sweden-based brand that supplies the E.U., the U.K., and South Africa.

Q: What is the impact of the boycott campaign on these brands?
A: The boycott campaign has had a significant impact on these brands, with many consumers turning away from Israeli and international companies seen as complicit in the violations of Palestinian rights.