Malaysia’s largest university Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) has ended a sponsorship deal with global sportswear brand Puma over the company’s support for illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to the BDS Movement UiTM which had a three-year contract with Puma as sponsor of the university’s football team confirmed that the contract was not renewed due to Puma’s involvement in Israel’s human rights abuses.
Puma sponsors the Israel Football Association (IFA) which supports teams in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. Israeli settlements are considered war crimes under international law.
Puma’s exclusive licensee in Israel Delta Galil is listed in the recently-revealed United Nations settlement blacklist of companies who have ties with illegal Israeli settlements.
Human rights groups in Malaysia and dozens of countries around the world have joined together to support the call from more than 200 Palestinian teams to boycott Puma until it ends support for Israel’s settlement enterprise.
