Elham Asaad Buaras

Muslims cross the world are being encouraged to boycott Israeli dates this Ramadan to ensure they are not breaking their fasts with the “taste of apartheid.” The tradition of breaking the fast with dates in Islam is rooted in the religious teachings of the Prophet Muhammad SAW.

According to estimates, 40 percent of Israeli dates are grown in illegal settlements built on land stolen from Palestinians. Israeli dates are also grown using stolen natural resources, such as water from Palestinian villages, leaving them struggling to get water for drinking and irrigation. The illegal Israeli settlements built on Palestinian land have been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice.

“By choosing not to buy Israeli dates this Ramadan, the Muslim community can send a clear and powerful message of condemnation of Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid in Palestine,” said Shamiul Joarder, who represents Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA), which launched the #CheckTheLabel European boycott campaign.

Israel is the world’s largest producer of Medjoul dates, with half of Israel’s dates exported to Europe. These dates are then sold in local shops across the continent as well as in major supermarkets, including ASDA and Tesco in the UK, as well as in local shops across the continent.

As per the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs guidance, technical advice states that when labelling produce grown in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the products should state “Produce of the West Bank (Israeli settlement produce)” and not “Produce of Israel.”

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) guidance goes on to state that anyone who misleads consumers by falsely claiming it is the product of Israel “would therefore almost certainly be committing an offence if they were to declare produce from the OPT (including from the West Bank) as ‘produce of Israel.’

This is because the area does not fall within the internationally recognised borders of the state of Israel.”

A day of action to encourage Muslims to check the label was called at UK mosques on March 17, the last Friday before Ramadan. There was also an online awareness drive on the final weekend before the holy month.

Across the Atlantic, the American Muslims for Palestinians (AMP) has also warned to look out for the “Grown in Palestine” label as the dates are sourced from illegal Israeli settlements. It urges people to buy dates “that are not sourced from illegal Israeli settlements, and there are a plethora of Algerian, Tunisian, Emirati, and Californian varieties to choose from.”

Israeli companies also supply supermarkets, which market under their brand. Sometimes they are labelled “produced in the West Bank,” but these are not Palestinian dates.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign elaborated on what dates not to purchase. “Don’t buy dates with Hadiklaim on the label. Hadiklaim is the largest exporter of dates from Israel and the settlements. It sells its dates abroad under these brand names: King Solomon, Jordan River, and Jordan River Bio-Top, as well as under the private labels of supermarket chains.”

Consumers are also told to check the label for Mehadrin, MTex, Edom, Agrexco, and Arava companies, all of which export from Israel and the illegal settlements. BDS Australia has warned the country’s 800,000-plus Muslim population that Israeli and Israeli settlement-sourced dates are sometimes hidden as producers “try to hide the country of origin.” They also warned not to buy “mixed origin” dates.

Photo P10: Friends of Al-Aqsa, #CheckTheLabel European campaign urging consumers to boycott dates sourced from Israel. (Courtesy of FOA)