SodaStream unveils Scarlett Johansson as its first-ever Global Brand Ambassador. (Photo: SodaStream International Ltd.)
An advert for a product made in an illegal Israeli settlement will be aired at the American Super Bowl on 2 February despite coming under intense criticism.
It features American actress Scarlet Johansson provocatively demonstrating how to make soda using a Sodastream device, signing off with the catchy slogan, "Set the bubbles free."
SodaStream has a factory in the illegal Israeli settlement of Maaleh Adumim in the occupied Palestinian West Bank.
UK tabloid MailOnline put the number of factories at three.
The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a global campaign against the endorsement of Israeli-made goods and services, strongly condemned the ad.
It also called on Oxfam International, a non-profit organisation that aims to end worldwide poverty, to end its relationship with Johansson.
Oxfam criticised Johansson for the ad, but took no further measures against her.
Critics have punned the ad with the term "blood bubbles."
In response to the criticism, Johansson issued a statement saying she remains "a supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine" and that SodaStream was committed to "building a bridge to peace between Israel and Palestine, supporting neighbours working alongside each other, receiving equal pay, equal benefits and equal rights."
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