Why Should Israeli Dates Not Be Bought or Sold?

A consumer buying dates may support illegal settlements and even genocide. Boycotting Israeli dates is not only defending human rights but also an environmental act.  

There are plenty of dates from Israel available in Finnish stores. We listed reasons why Israeli dates should be boycotted and why they should not be sold in Finnish grocery stores.  

An “Israeli” date may be a settlement product – Israeli companies distort the origin of their products 

A significant portion of dates produced in settlements is cultivated for export – a large number of dates produced in illegal settlements are thus available outside of Israel. Some estimates suggest that up to 40% of the dates that Israel sells abroad are produced in the illegally occupied West Bank.  

EU legislation requires products made in Israeli settlements to be labeled so that consumers know they originate from Palestinian areas occupied by Israel. However, companies have not always managed this. For example, Tesco labeled products from settlements misleadingly for a long time.  

Israeli date producers have also been caught distorting origin labels. For example, Hadiklaim and Mehadrim have documented cases of labeling dates grown in illegal settlements as “Produce of Israel.”  

In Finland, for example, the S-Group acquires its dates from Hadiklaim, whose packing facility is located on the Israeli side near the town of Beit Shean, on the border between Israel and the West Bank. While the packing facility is in Israel, it also processes fruit from occupied areas. This packing facility also supplies dates to the S-Group. We have contacted the S-Group about this matter, and the company has responded that they closely monitor to ensure their dates do not come from illegal settlements. The company continues its cooperation with Hadiklaim.  

This raises the question: why do the S-Group and other Finnish companies trust Israeli companies that openly operate in illegal settlements and have been caught labeling settlement products as Israeli?  

Dates finance illegal settlements and even genocide

Dates are a significant source of income for Israel. In 2022, Israel exported dates worth $225 million. Israel is the world’s fourth-largest date exporter. Dates are particularly important as an export product for Israel’s illegal settlements, which rely on exports and the financial support they receive. Without income, maintaining and expanding settlements is not possible.  

If we buy Israeli dates, we fund Israel’s crimes. By boycotting products produced in Israel and its illegal settlements, we can pressure Israel to comply with international law and end genocide and apartheid. Cutting off economic, cultural, and political support was once a significant factor in persuading South Africa to end its discriminatory apartheid system.  

Date farming in settlements is a threat to human rights and the environment 

Illegal settlements have been built at the expense of Palestinians’ agricultural lands, water access, and opportunities for sustainable development. This includes the destruction of natural habitats and traditional farming methods, severing local communities’ long-term connection to their environment.  

Removing native vegetation and wildlife to make way for date farms has led to significant biodiversity loss. The planting of non-native, water-intensive crops, desert irrigation by siphoning water from neighbors, and redirecting water for the benefit of settlements have also caused numerous environmental disasters throughout Palestine.  

Fruit cultivation in settlements is closely linked to water access issues in Palestinian areas. The occupied Palestinian territories suffer from water shortages because Israel systematically prevents Palestinians from accessing water. The area’s groundwater reserves and water distribution are controlled by Israel, which holds 80% of the region’s water resources.

Buying and selling Israeli dates is thus also environmentally harmful activity.  

Companies have a duty to mitigate harmful human rights impacts linked to business relationships

According to UN principles, companies must seek to prevent and mitigate harmful human rights impacts linked to business relationships even when they have not contributed to causing those impacts. In the case of Israeli settlements, such a linked-to situation may arise, for example, when trade is conducted with a subcontractor operating in settlements.  

Many companies seem to shift the responsibility for ethical decisions onto their customers. However, there are positive examples: the Finnish company Foodin removed Israeli dates from its selection after receiving feedback on the matter. For example, S-Group stores have been selling Israeli dates for a long time, and this year they introduced a new product from Hadiklaim, which openly operates in Israel’s illegal settlements.  
Consumers must also be careful when shopping, as the country of origin of Israeli dates is not always clearly marked on price tags. For example, the S-Group has received feedback several times in December that the country of origin of dates is not clearly labeled on price tags. Similarly, earlier in the year, the origin of avocados from Israel was misrepresented.