Marrakech – France’s chapter of the pro-Palestinian movement BDS has launched a scathing attack on “Dar Mima,” the upscale Moroccan restaurant co-founded by Jamel Debbouze atop the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) in Paris, demanding the immediate removal of Israeli wines from its menu.
In a strongly-worded letter dated August 8, released on Tuesday, and addressed to the restaurant management, BDS France condemned the establishment’s decision to sell Israeli wines.
“This choice is incomprehensible, partly because these wines are mediocre and served almost nowhere else in Paris, also because Israel is not part of the ‘Arab world,’ and finally because we can only imagine your decision is motivated by political reasons that do not do you credit,” the organization stated.
The group pointedly questioned, “Is the absence of the wine list on your website perhaps a sign of discomfort on this issue?” alluding that the restaurant may be deliberately concealing its wine selections from public view.
The group blasted the restaurant for selling wines from the Golan Heights, “which is Syrian territory illegally annexed by Israel,” arguing that “it is forbidden to exploit resources from occupied territories.” BDS France warned that the restaurant could be “accused of receiving stolen goods and complicity in the crime of colonization” for selling these products.
“During the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the destruction, killings, and widespread famine, caused and planned by the Israeli army, the sale of these wines in your establishment contributes to the war economy and is an insult to all humanity,” the letter declared.
The boycott campaign has placed Debbouze, a celebrated Moroccan-French actor and comedian, in a difficult position. According to BDS France’s recent social media post, their letter has gone unanswered by the restaurant’s management.
Dar Mima, which opened in spring 2023, represents the fulfillment of Debbouze’s long-standing dream to establish a Moroccan restaurant in Paris. The restaurant is named after his mother Fatima, affectionately known as “Mima,” who plays an active role in the establishment.
“After giving my mother the opportunity to stop working, a restaurant was the best gift I could give her, as well as my friends! My mother has always wanted to share through cooking, it’s her means of expression,” Debbouze told Le Figaro at the time of the restaurant’s launch.
The controversy plays out amid Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza
The controversy arises in the shadow of Israel’s genocidal onslaught on Gaza. Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s operations have killed 62,122 Palestinians and injured 156,758, according to figures cited by OCHA.
Famine thresholds due to the Israeli blockade have been reached across most areas, with at least 269 people – including 112 children – dying of malnutrition. OHCHR has recorded 1,889 people killed while seeking food at militarized distribution points or along convoy routes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has documented 772 attacks on health care facilities in Gaza since October 2023. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank in 2025 alone, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have killed 168 Palestinians, including 37 children.
OCHA further reports 10,741 Palestinians in Israeli custody – including 3,613 held without charge or trial under administrative detention. The UN agency logged 41 settler attacks against 27 communities in a single week.
Demolitions have surged with 1,160 Palestinian structures demolished this year to August 12, displacing 1,540 people. These demolitions, concentrated in the occupied West Bank – which Zionist authorities justify through biblical terminology, referring to it as “Judea and Samaria” – reflect the imposition of theological claims onto lived Palestinian realities.
West Bank atrocities continue
Occupation in the West Bank continues to intensify. Israel advanced 28,872 illegal settlement units in 2024 and, on Wednesday, approved the controversial and illegal E1 project – approximately 3,500 units between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Maale Adumim – that would bisect the territory.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who unveiled the plans last week, declared that the very idea of a Palestinian state was “being erased.” OCHA maps 645 movement obstacles restricting Palestinians, while about 737,000 Israeli settlers now live there.
The genocide shows no signs of abating. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu insists on “total victory” in Gaza regardless of any hostage deal – saying the “war” won’t end even if an agreement is reached.
On Wednesday, Israel’s defense minister approved a military plan for the conquest of Gaza City, authorizing the call-up of about 60,000 reservists, despite Hamas accepting the latest proposal from mediators for a ceasefire.
In this context, BDS France’s campaign against Dar Mima represents part of the broader Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, “as requested by Palestinian civil society since 2005,” aimed at applying economic pressure on Israel over its atrocities against Palestinians.