We, the undersigned, including the customers of the Phoenicia Specialty stores in Houston, are writing to you to express our concern about certain products sold in your store that are connected to human rights abuses. These products include Israeli wines such as Golan Merlot and Yarden; Medjool dates from Israeli illegal settlements in occupied territory; and Israeli Osem Couscous, among other Israeli items.

We write out of a shared commitment to the global movement to stop ethnic cleansing, human rights abuses, and apartheid in Israel/Palestine just weeks after Israel's bloody 50-day assault on the Gaza Strip, which left over 2100 Palestinians – including 500 children – dead, displaced a fourth of the population, destroyed homes, schools, and hospitals, and involved numerous potential war crimes.

Since 2005, Palestinian civil society has called on people of conscience around the world to engage in a peaceful campaign of boycotting, divesting from, and sanctioning Israel to foster compliance with international law. The BDS movement has grown exponentially since then, attracting support from a range of cultural and literary figures around the globe.

We know that Phoenicia strives to celebrate the best of Houston culture and cuisine, and is frequented by many customers opposed to past and ongoing human rights crimes and violations of international law in Israel/Palestine. As such, we urge you to consider the grave concerns of your valued customers and the residents of Houston, and appeal to Phoenicia to de-shelve the products listed in this petition. We have provided additional information about these products below. We also ask for a meeting to speak to you directly about our concerns, and have indicated below who we are, as individual signatories and organizations.

Product Information:

Israeli wine: http://whoprofits.org/content/forbidden-fruit-israeli-wine-industry-and-occupation-0

Medjool dates: http://www.foa.org.uk/uploads/boycott-israeli-dates-2014-4-poster_logo_web.jpg

Osem: http://vpm.org.my/bds/35-why-boycott-nestle http://sacbds.org/products/

Signatories: