About two months ago one of my closest friends, a Norwegian medical doctor, sent me an SMS: “Avoid medication produced by the company TEVA. It is Israeli.” I sighed, knowing perfectly well that what little I may or may not buy from or recomend of a genocidal country’s company, makes absolutely no difference. I am retired.
Retired or not, I am distressed by the situation in Palestine and by my – our – impotence here in Europe. Maybe that is why I have recently developed tension pains in my neck and shoulders, to the point that several times a day, I get so dizzy that I almost faint.
I went to my local pharmacy and bought ibuprofen. Only after I had gratefully swallowed the first tablet (expecting an improvement to my condition within 24 hrs.) did I scrutinize the packaging: TEVA.
With the remaining 19 tablets and the packaging in my pocket, I returned to the pharmacy. There were some people in the shop being looked after by the nice lady who runs the place. I turned to a young woman at the counter, showed her the packaging of my TEVA ibuprofen and said:
“I realise you cannot refund me since I have already taken one of the tablets. But do you know this company, TEVA?”
The girl shook her head. I continued:
“It is an Israeli company that pays taxes to the Israeli government that is committing genocide in Palestine. You should not buy products from this company!”
She looked shell-shocked, so I added more gently: “Do you have a waste paper basket?”
She nodded, whispered “just leave it here”, and pointed to the counter.
I said: “No, I want a proper waste paper basket!”
She dug out a basket and I poured the 19 tablets into it.
Then I prepared to leave, but she was urgently prodding her boss, so I waited.
The boss interrupted her conversation with whoever it was and turned to her distressed employee, who was so terrified that no words were heard from her moving lips. She nodded towards me.
The boss looked at me sternly (frankly, I give her kudos for that!) I repeated what I had told the poor employee: “This is an Israeli company that is paying taxes to a country that is committing genocide.” With an apologetic smile, she raised her left shoulder, as though suggesting “well, you know, business…”. I saw that she now recognised me as I recognised her. For years I have been a courteous customer, not least during Covid, and for years she has been equally courteous with me.
So I added, by way of explanation: “One thing is medication for Huntington’s disease, another is ibuprofen which is one of the most common of common drugs. You should not be buying it from TEVA! There are many, many other suppliers.” For some reason, she suddenly almost looked sheepish, and she said she would “take note of my words”.
Whatever that means.
What I do believe, though, is that the poor employee and the others listening to our conversation (including the chemist himself) will not forget that an indignant elderly foreigner actually threw a product produced by an Israeli company into the waste paper basket.
***
Look up TEVA pharmaceuticals. It is very big, and has grown even bigger since Norway’s Pension fund invested heavily in it quite recently. See: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/3vtoupesw
Of course I love my country, but I draw the line at profiteering from genocide.
***
All that was yesterday. Today, I am shaky from the scene I made yesterday. And my neck and shoulders… I need ibuprofen.
I went to another pharmacy in my little town. And with nervous fingers I examined the box of 20 tablets handed to me. No sign of the hated word TEVA. Mumbling almost incoherently that I was relieved it wasn’t TEVA, I heard the chemist say: “TEVA has a lot to answer for” and his beautiful colleague who was handling another customer, threw me a beaming smile, “NOT Teva,” she called to me.
I felt I had come home.