RSS
A Letter to eBay: Possible Unlawful Boycott of Israel and Alleged Discriminatory Price Gouging
StandWithUs, National Jewish Advocacy Center, and Zachor Legal Institute wrote to eBay, noting that eBay consumers have brought to our attention significant concerns regarding eBay’s business practices, including allegations that eBay may be discriminating against consumers trying to ship goods from the United States to Israel in violation of anti-boycott laws and international treaties. We requested that eBay provide clarification, investigate the allegations set forth in the letter, and initiate relevant remedial action.
April 15, 2024
Jamie Iannone,
CEO of eBay
Via Email: jamie@ebay.com
Re: Possible Unlawful Boycott of Israel and Alleged Discriminatory Price Gouging
Dear Mr. Iannone,
We write to you from StandWithUs, an international, non-profit organization with the mission of supporting Israel and combating antisemitism; National Jewish Advocacy Center, a nonprofit organization committed to our mission to advocate for the Jewish nation and the Jewish State; and Zachor Legal Institute, a non-profit civil rights organization combating antisemitism.
eBay consumers have brought to our attention significant concerns regarding eBay’s business practices, including allegations that eBay may be discriminating against consumers trying to ship goods from the United States to Israel in violation of anti-boycott laws and international treaties. We request that you provide clarification, investigate the allegations set forth below, and initiate relevant remedial action.
First, eBay customers have notified us of multiple discrepancies in eBay’s activities regarding trade to Israel as compared to other foreign countries since October 7, 2023, when thousands of Palestinian terrorists and armed citizens led by Hamas slaughtered more than a thousand civilians in Israel and took over 200 hostages into Gaza. Starting on October 7 until a recent date, eBay blocked Israel as a shipping destination. Accordingly, sales could not be processed when the final address selected was Israel. The following homepage notification was displayed:
Expect interruptions to Israel service. Listings temporarily no longer show shipping availability. Due to the current events, many major shipping carriers around the world are experiencing interruptions in service to Israel. As a result, many eBay listings will no longer show shipping availability temporarily to buyers with shipping addresses in Israel.
Further, when a merchant offering an item with worldwide availability was based in the United States, where eBay’s in-house, default service option “eBay International Shipping” is used, consumers requesting Israel as the final destination received the message:
Unfortunately, shipping to your location is not available at this time.
This did not appear to be the case when the merchant was based outside of the United States, for example in Germany, Canada, Australia, or the United Kingdom, where the same or similar item for purchase was able to successfully deliver to Israel via a different non-eBay administered service. And from our understanding, major international shipment companies and rival e- commerce sites, like USPS, Amazon, and Ali Express, have never blocked service to Israel and have only faced minimal delays, if any.
In short, it appears that eBay’s US-based operations — and not in other countries — have been refusing to ship items to Israel, while simultaneously engaging in trade with other countries, possibly participating in a boycott in violation of US law. Our understanding is that within the last few weeks, eBay has since lifted this complete ban, however a standardized message that there may be delays in shipping still appears for those with Israel set as the destination.
Furthermore, consumers requesting Israel as a shipping destination are facing sky-high shipping and handling costs (“costs”) from the same “eBay International Shipping” service that no other country appears to be subject to. From our analysis, these costs — irrespective of and not proportional to the cost of the product itself — seem to be consistently in the $60-70 range, which is two to three times greater than when selecting any other applicable country destination. When shipping service options “Standard International Shipping” or “USPS” are available, the costs for delivering the same items are significantly less than eBay’s own shipping service. When shipping originates from a non-US location, the costs do not seem to vary significantly based on destination.
As you may be aware, anti-Israel boycotts not only violate numerous Federal anti-boycott laws, but also legislation in over 30 US states, many of which house your offices, employees, and interstate business operations. The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security defines the term “boycott” as referring “to economic coercion associated with such tactics as refusing to engage in business transactions or conditioning business transactions on agreements that a party will not do business with another party or country.”
The past six months of eBay’s refusal to service consumers in Israel from the US. at all or on terms equal to other countries likely constituted such a boycott, regardless of if one has been publicly declared. And now, whether eBay is intentionally acting in furtherance of the same perceived boycott tactic or is merely using price gouging as a means to “legally” dissuade customers from engaging with Israel, this discriminatory conduct is potentially in violation of the same set of laws. This extant practice requires immediate clarification.
We therefore request that you investigate this alleged non-compliance and engage in a thorough and transparent review of your policies to ensure adherence to Federal and state anti-boycott legislation and regulations. Thank you for your prompt attention to this timely and critical matter. We look forward to a response to this letter by April 30, 2024.
Sincerely,
Roz Rothstein Marc Greendorfer Mark Goldfeder
CEO and Co-Founder President CEO and Director
StandWithUs Zachor Legal Institute National Jewish Advocacy Center
The post A Letter to eBay: Possible Unlawful Boycott of Israel and Alleged Discriminatory Price Gouging first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Israel Says Missile Launched by Yemen’s Houthis ‘Most Likely’ Intercepted
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
The Israeli army said on Saturday that a missile fired from Yemen towards Israeli territory had been “most likely successfully intercepted,” while Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed responsibility for the launch.
Israel has threatened Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement – which has been attacking Israel in what it says is solidarity with Gaza – with a naval and air blockade if its attacks on Israel persist.
The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group was responsible for Saturday’s attack, adding that it fired a missile towards the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.
Since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have been firing at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade.
Most of the dozens of missiles and drones they have launched have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes.
The post Israel Says Missile Launched by Yemen’s Houthis ‘Most Likely’ Intercepted first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Iran Holds Funeral for Commanders and Scientists Killed in War with Israel
People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Large crowds of mourners dressed in black lined streets in Iran’s capital Tehran as the country held a funeral on Saturday for top military commanders, nuclear scientists and some of the civilians killed during this month’s aerial war with Israel.
At least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among those mourned at the funeral, according to state media, including armed forces chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Revolutionary Guards commander General Hossein Salami, and Guards Aerospace Force chief General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Their coffins were driven into Tehran’s Azadi Square adorned with their photos and national flags, as crowds waved flags and some reached out to touch the caskets and throw rose petals onto them. State-run Press TV showed an image of ballistic missiles on display.
Mass prayers were later held in the square.
State TV said the funeral, dubbed the “procession of the Martyrs of Power,” was held for a total of 60 people killed in the war, including four women and four children.
In attendance were President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures including Ali Shamkhani, who was seriously wounded during the conflict and is an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as Khamenei’s son Mojtaba.
“Today, Iranians, through heroic resistance against two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, protected their honor and dignity, and look to the future prouder, more dignified, and more resolute than ever,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who also attended the funeral, said in a Telegram post.
There was no immediate statement from Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since the conflict began. In past funerals, he led prayers over the coffins of senior commanders ahead of public ceremonies broadcast on state television.
Israel launched the air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders as well as civilians in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.
Iran retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites, infrastructure and cities. The United States entered the war on June 22 with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
TRUMP THREAT
Israel, the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said it aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
Iran denies having a nuclear weapons program. The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said it has “no credible indication” of an active, coordinated weapons program in Iran.
Bagheri, Salami and Hajizadeh were killed on June 13, the first day of the war. Bagheri was being buried at the Behesht Zahra cemetery outside Tehran mid-afternoon on Saturday. Salami and Hajizadeh were due to be buried on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would consider bombing Iran again, while Khamenei, who has appeared in two pre-recorded video messages since the start of the war, has said Iran would respond to any future US attack by striking US military bases in the Middle East.
A senior Israeli military official said on Friday that Israel had delivered a “major blow” to Iran’s nuclear project. On Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that Israel and the US “failed to achieve their stated objectives” in the war.
According to Iranian health ministry figures, 610 people were killed on the Iranian side in the war before a ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday. More than 4,700 were injured.
Activist news agency HRANA put the number of killed at 974, including 387 civilians.
Israel’s health ministry said 28 were killed in Israel and 3,238 injured.
The post Iran Holds Funeral for Commanders and Scientists Killed in War with Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Pro-Palestinian Rapper Leads ‘Death to the IDF’ Chant at English Music festival
Revellers dance as Avril Lavigne performs on the Other Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
i24 News – Chants of “death to the IDF” were heard during the English Glastonbury music festival on Saturday ahead of the appearance of the pro-Palestinian Irish rappers Kneecap.
One half of punk duo based Bob Vylan (who both use aliases to protect their privacy) shouted out during a section of their show “Death to the IDF” – the Israeli military. Videos posted on X (formerly Twitter) show the crowd responding to and repeating the cheer.
This comes after officials had petitioned the music festival to drop the band. The rap duo also expressed support for the following act, Kneecap, who the BCC refused to show live after one of its members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – better known by stage name Mo Chara – was charged with a terror offense.
The post Pro-Palestinian Rapper Leads ‘Death to the IDF’ Chant at English Music festival first appeared on Algemeiner.com.