The boycott movement has gained momentum in the UK over the years, especially in the context of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 30,000 people since October 2023…reports Asian Lite News
British Muslims are keen to avoid buying Israeli dates. The UK is reportedly the second-biggest importer of Israeli dates in Europe, and, in 2020, imported more than 3,000 tons of dates from Israel, worth about £7.5 million ($9.6 million), according to statistics released by Friends of Al-Aqsa.
For more than 14 years, FOA has led the #CheckTheLabel boycott campaign to raise awareness among consumers who are unknowingly buying Israeli dates. The campaign has focused on Muslims during Ramadan — a time of surging Israeli date sales in Europe.
As part of its campaign, the advocacy group has encouraged imams in local mosques to address the boycott in their sermons during the holy month.
“Mosques are very important during Ramadan to push that message of unity and encourage people to be ethical consumers,” Shamiul Joarder of FOA said.
“The campaign is always received really well. No one wants to knowingly break their fast with Israeli dates, with produce that helps sustain the illegal occupation of stolen land,” he added.
Israel’s illegal occupation has forced many Palestinians to work under degrading conditions on settlement farms.
Human Rights Watch has documented the exploitation of Palestinian labor in the Israeli date industry, including children as young as 11 exposed to harmful pesticides and women enduring long hours in harsh conditions.
The boycott movement has gained momentum in the UK over the years, especially in the context of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 30,000 people since October 2023.
Abbas, a London-based Iraqi designer, told about the prevalence of Israeli dates in the UK. “I’d always assumed they were produced in Arab countries,” the 21-year-old said, adding that social media in recent months had helped him become aware of the importance of checking labels.
Meanwhile, Joarder warned that Israeli exporters are hiding the origins of dates to “deliberately mislead” consumers.
“I stick to buying my dates from one company I know that is Saudi. That way, I don’t end up accidentally buying from Israeli brands,” Soha, a 52-year-old British Muslim said.
Equally, there has been a push in the UK to promote Palestinian date consumption, which has been adversely affected by the growth of the Israeli date industry.
