A Saturday feature in an Irish newspaper has sparked controversy after the newspaper outlined how ordinary consumer items, from toothpaste to snack foods, may be connected to Israel and suggested ways readers could avoid them.
The Irish Times article followed RTÉ’s announcement that it would refuse to participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is involved. The article presented the boycott drive as part of what it called a wider movement of people “speaking with their wallets” against Israel.
The paper listed multinational brands with operations or investments in Israel, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Unilever, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, and Heineken. While admitting the effort was nearly impossible to carry out, the article still encouraged readers to examine the “labyrinthine structure of global commerce” to identify connections with Israel.
Quoting musician Steve Wall, the paper highlighted his decision to avoid Coca-Cola and medicines made by Teva Pharmaceuticals, an Israeli company. “I know it’s probably impossible to know everything that has ties to Israel, but everyone can still do their own little bit,” he told the Irish Times. Another interviewee, Hayley O’Connor, said she had altered her shopping choices, adding, “Everybody can do something and differences can be made.”
The feature also directed readers to the “No Thanks” app, a tool promoted by the BDS movement, which enables users to scan items to check for Israeli connections.
The newspaper’s decision to publish such a guide drew sharp criticism. Rachel Moiselle commented: “Today in the Irish Times: beware the diapers and toothpaste in your cupboard, for they may be tenuously linked to the world’s only Jewish state.”
Deputy Editor of Jewish News UK Daniel Sugarman described the article as “genuinely insane to see in a Western country’s paper of record. Something is truly rotten in the State of Ireland.”
Michael Dickson, Executive Director of Stand With Us Israel, accused the newspaper of crossing into antisemitic territory, writing: “Irish Times, 2025 = Der Stürmer 1935.”