Gaza Friendly: the French label turning consumer choices into Palestine solidarity

Submitted by Tassa Adidi on Mon, 09/28/2026 - 15:10 In France, a unique app certifies shopkeepers boycotting products linked to Israeli settlements while promoting alternative brands

Gaza Friendly, launched in 2025, is inspired by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (provided) Off

Among the many apps available on the Play Store, one stands out thanks to its heart‑shaped icon featuring a Palestinian flag: “Gaza Friendly”.

Created in June 2025, the label certifies shopkeepers involved in the boycott of products originating from the occupied Palestinian territories and marketed by companies supporting Israel’s settlement expansion.

To date, the app and its associated website list 80 businesses in France, mainly butchers, restaurants, bakeries, caterers, tea rooms and food distributors.

The list is updated regularly, and the app features an interactive map allowing consumers to locate certified shops near their homes.

The app, which has been downloaded more than 500 times so far, was created by Pierre-Amael Noailly Charny, a paediatrician of Tunisian origin from Lyon, in east-central France, along with a small group of friends.

Noailly Charny explains that shopkeepers who join Gaza Friendly can express their commitment to the Palestinian cause in a concrete way.

‘This label gives people outraged by the genocide in Gaza the possibility to turn their consumption into a lever for justice and solidarity’

- Pierre-Amael Noailly Charny, founder of Gaza Friendly

“The existence of this label gives people outraged by the genocide in Gaza the possibility to turn their consumption into a lever for justice and solidarity,” Noailly Charny told Middle East Eye.

The label draws inspiration from the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, an international campaign launched in 2005 by Palestinian civil society to encourage consumers and institutions to refuse to buy Israeli products or goods originating from Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law.

“Boycott works because refusing certain products cuts off resources from the oppression,” Gaza Friendly argues on its homepage, with the ambition of building a strong network of certified shopkeepers to give greater visibility to the boycott campaign.

‘My business is doing better’

To be certified, shopkeepers must comply with a three‑point charter: no Coca‑Cola Company beverages, no PepsiCo beverages, and no fresh products imported from Israeli settlements.

For Noailly Charny, boycotting Coca‑Cola and PepsiCo is a peaceful tool with strong symbolic impact, given their documented involvement in the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.

In 2025, BDS revealed that Coca‑Cola operates a regional distribution centre and refrigerated warehouses in the settlement of Atarot in the West Bank, while PepsiCo is targeted for investments and subsidiaries linked to Israel.

‘The idea appealed to me, especially since some customers had already blamed me for selling Coca‑Cola’

- Akli, Gaza Friendly‑certified shopkeeper

Although PepsiCo maintains it does not support Israel politically or militarily, activists argue that its ownership of Israeli brands SodaStream and Sabra, along with its operations in the country, amount to indirect support for the Israeli state. Coca‑Cola, for its part, insists that it does not endorse any country, government or policy, but has not addressed the allegations concerning the Atarot facility.

Both companies declined to respond to MEE’s request for comment.

“Even before Gaza Friendly existed, some shopkeepers had already taken the initiative to stop selling Coca‑Cola and Pepsi products. We therefore chose to put them in the spotlight and list them to set an example and encourage others to join,” Noailly Charny said.

Aid Boucherie Halal in Creteil, near Paris, is one of the latest certified businesses. Its name appeared on the Gaza Friendly list on 4 September. Akli, the owner, says he heard about the label through an acquaintance.

“The idea appealed to me, especially since some customers had already blamed me for selling Coca‑Cola. Personally, I didn’t know the company had interests in Israel,” he told MEE.

Akli says he has always been supportive of Palestinians but didn’t know how to express that support.

“Now I don’t sell Coca-Cola or Pepsi, and my business is doing just as well - actually, even better,” he said, noting a slight increase in customer numbers.

Solidarity brands

In addition to listing shopkeepers, Gaza Friendly provides them with visual materials such as posters and stickers to improve visibility. It also offers a non‑exhaustive list of alternative products, particularly beverages, to replace brands targeted by the boycott.

Some of these drinks come from companies committed to Palestine. This is the case for Pales Drinks, a Belgian brand of sodas created in 2024 by young entrepreneur Abdelhakim Tarnach, which donates 10 percent of its profits to humanitarian actions in Palestine.

Watermelon Index names and shames companies complicit in Israel's war on Gaza Read More »

The same year saw the launch of Palestine Cola, a soft drink marketed by Safad Food AB, a company founded by entrepreneurs of Palestinian origin based in Malmo, Sweden.

Here too, part of the profits from the sale of cans - decorated with an olive tree and wrapped in a keffiyeh pattern - funds emergency aid projects in Palestine such as clothing, tents and food assistance.

In France, Palestine Cola is mainly distributed by Jebalia, an online retailer promoting alternative, ethical and solidarity‑based consumption. On its Instagram page, each purchase is presented as an act of support for humanitarian causes.

Since July, Jebalia has been listed among Gaza Friendly‑certified businesses. Its owner Sofiane Slimani proudly embraces his commitment to Palestine.

“We’ve reached a point where boycotting products linked to Israeli settlement activity is no longer enough. We need to offer alternatives,” he told MEE.

Jebalia claims to have sold 100,000 cans of soda in 2025, its founding year. Beyond social media, the company uses other communication channels to make itself known.

‘We’ve reached a point where boycotting products linked to Israeli settlement activity is no longer enough. We need to offer alternatives’

- Sofiane Slimani, Gaza Friendly‑certified retailer

It was present at the latest edition of the Annual Gathering of Muslims of France in Le Bourget last April and regularly partners with engaged businesses to offer its drinks at solidarity events, such as the charity football tournament Salam Cup held a few months ago in Bobigny, near Paris.

During this event supporting Palestine, Jebalia products were sold by Inda Coffee, a French coffee shop and matcha bar supporting aid initiatives for Gaza.

Although involved in the boycott campaign, Inda Coffee is not yet certified by Gaza Friendly. According to Noailly Charny, many shopkeepers still don’t know the label exists - hence the need, he insists, for more publicity.

“We’re trying to reach influencers who work in the food sector,” the paediatrician said. In Lyon, AmarFood, a content creator specialising in gastronomy and halal, alcohol‑free restaurants in Lyon and the Paris region, often promotes Gaza Friendly in his videos.

More recently, another videographer shared a story in which he explained the concept at length.

Beyond France, Gaza Friendly aims to expand internationally. Shopkeepers from around 15 countries are already members of the label, which has no equivalent anywhere else in the world.

Occupation Paris News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0