Puma Ending Israel Sponsorship Sparks Pro-Palestinian Activist Celebration

Puma will be ending its sponsorship of the Israeli national soccer team, and while the sportswear brand said the decision was made before the war with Hamas, many pro-Palestinian activists celebrated the move on social media.

"At the end of 2022, PUMA decided to implement its new fewer-bigger-better strategy and apply it also to Sports Marketing," a spokesperson for Puma told Newsweek. "The review of the existing roster of national teams along certain KPIs such as commercials and participation in major international tournaments led to a few changes.

"While two newly signed national teams—including a new statement team—will be announced later this year and in 2024, the contracts of some federations such as Serbia and Israel will expire in 2024. These decisions were taken in 2022 in line with the regular timelines for the design & development of the team jerseys."

On October 7, Hamas militants led a surprise attack on Israel and fighting between the two has continued. Shortly after the attack, Israel Defense Forces carried out dozens of airstrikes in parts of Gaza, and many across the globe have continued to call for a ceasefire. As of Tuesday, there have been more than 17,000 casualties on both sides, the Associated Press reported.

Amid the fighting, protests and calls for boycotts have broken out across both sides and Puma's support of the Israeli team was widely criticized by pro-Palestinian activists. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement previously called for a boycott against Puma, saying that the brand is "involved in violations of international law and human rights" as the sponsor of the team.

"Puma is the main sponsor of the Israel Football Association (IFA), which includes teams in Israel's illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land," the BDS movement said.

The announcement on Tuesday led to many celebrating and saying their calls to boycott the brand worked.

"Oh this is HUGE. Wow, shocked Puma dropped their sponsorship as it's been happening for a while now," @iamntyrell wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) also celebrated the move on X, saying, "In BDS win, @Puma forced to drop sponsorship of Israel Football Association. PUMA has been the target of a worldwide BDS campaign over its support for Israeli apartheid. The IFA governs and advocates to maintain teams in illegal Israeli settlements on stolen Palestinian land."

X user @broseph_stalin had a similar response, saying, "Puma just dropped its long-standing sponsorship of the Israel Football Association. This is a big BDS win. May there be many more to come."

X user @iamntyrell said: "Puma pulling out of Israel is a huge and tangible example of boycotts working. Take this as a case study and use your freedom of choice going forward when it comes to brands supporting inhumane acts of oppression."

On the other hand, X user @Levyninho said: "The Israeli FA decided back in September not to continue with Puma beyond 31.12.24 despite having the option to extend the agreement until 2026. This has nothing to do with the war or BDS pressure, but it makes a good headline for clickbaits and lies."