The bloodshed that Israel has been shedding in Gaza for seventeen months has led to calls for boycotts from all over the world against companies that support Israeli policies. As a result, Israel’s date industry is worried that a boycott is imminent as Ramadan approaches.
According to reports in the israeli press, the ongoing massacre in Gaza since October 7 has made it increasingly difficult to sell israeli dates on the European market as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches.
Ramadan is considered a key period when approximately one-third of israeli producers’ annual date exports occur.
According to the israeli newspaper Haaretz, an advertising campaign totaling $550,000 to promote israel’s Medjul (Medjoul) dates was shelved due to fears of a boycott.
Following the brutal bloodshed in Gaza, Muslim communities around the world have been increasingly wary of israeli products in various areas.
israel is one of the world’s largest producers of dates, especially the popular Medjul date, which is large, fleshy and delicious.
The American Muslims for Palestine movement has called for a boycott of 12 israeli date brands.
In recent years, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement has been waging a growing campaign to put economic pressure on israeli companies to end the occupation.
Given the spiritual importance of dates during the month of Ramadan, when it is Sunnah for a fasting person to break their fast, many Muslims are trying to make sure they are ethically sourced.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is calling on the world to boycott israel
israeli date producers are changing the labels of dates produced in israel to disguise their origins.
Supporters of Gaza and Palestine are working hard to ensure that consumers can make an informed choice and avoid buying israeli dates.
“There are organisations in Europe that go into supermarkets where our branded dates are sold and put stickers on them saying that buyers are ‘contributing to the genocide’,” one israeli date producer told Haaretz.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign says most of israel’s Medjul dates are grown by israeli settlers in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Campaigners against the israeli occupation regularly urge people to check labels for dates and where they come from before buying.
The economic impact of boycotting israeli dates could be significant for israel, as israel’s 50 per cent share of the Medjul market makes it one of the largest markets in the world by volume.
israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, not only grow date palms on stolen land using exploited Palestinian labor, but also divert water resources away from Palestinian villages, leaving them struggling to find water for drinking and irrigation. Under the pressure of military occupation, the domestic Palestinian date industry is also struggling to compete with israeli dates flooding local and international markets.
According to data from the israeli Ministry of Agriculture, the value of date exports from israel alone was $338 million in 2022, while exports of all other fruits were $432 million.
The American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) movement announced a boycott of 12 israeli date brands in support of Palestinian independence. It accused israel of establishing a date industry on stolen land using exploited Palestinian labor, including children.
According to Haaretz, in order to counter boycott campaigns, israeli producers are working with some buyers to change the labels on their products to hide the origins of the dates.
In October of last year, israel’s date exports to Türkiye dropped by 50 percent.
