Mecca Cola comes to Israel for sale

By: Ahmed Hammadi

HELD JERUSALEM: The Haaretz daily reported that Mecca Cola, the drink which prides itself on giving a share of its profits to the Palestinian children, has gone on sale in parts of Israel for the first time.

Bottles featuring illustrations of Jerusalem's landmark Dome of the Rock now line the shelves in Arab Israeli towns although they are not being stocked in Jewish areas of the country.

According to Mecca Cola's French founder Taufik Mathlouthi he wanted to “struggle against Zionism inside its home,” but insisted he had no problem with Jews.

“We don't have a problem with the Jews living in the Zionist entity, only with the entity itself and what it symbolizes,” he said.

The bottle labels state that 10 percent of the profits will go to “the children of Palestine,” while another 10 percent will be funneled to local charities in each country where it is sold.

Makdad Idris, the company's distributor in Israel said he would donate all 20 percent of the profits to the Palestinians. He hopes to expand the drink into the Jewish market as well. He says Mecca Cola is a quality item that should be popular with Jews as well as Muslims.

Mecca Cola was founded in 2002 to give Muslim consumers an alternative to traditional American products such as Coca Cola and Pepsi. It is made in France.

Mecca Cola named after Islam's holiest place also comes in orange, lemon and apple flavors.

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