European Muslims urged to boycott Israeli dates this Ramadan
Date
2/27/2023 3:46:01 AM
(MENAFN) A new boycott campaign is urging Muslims across Europe to avoid buying Israeli dates during Ramadan, to ensure that they are not consuming the “taste of apartheid” while breaking their fasts. The Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA), a UK-based advocacy group, launched the campaign, encouraging the Muslim community to send a clear message of condemnation of Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid in Palestine.
According to FOA, Israel is the world’s largest producer of Medjoul dates, with 50% of its dates exported to Europe, where they are sold in major supermarkets and local shops. The UK, Netherlands, France, Spain, and Italy import significant quantities of the dried fruit. In 2020, the UK alone imported over 3,000 tons of dates from Israel, worth approximately £7.5m ($8.9m).
FOA also highlighted that Israel has killed at least 62 Palestinians, including 13 children, so far this year, which amounts to one child every five days. The Israeli government has also been increasing home demolitions at an alarming rate and has promised to expand illegal settlements at an unprecedented level.
Despite international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, identifying Israel as committing the crime of apartheid, European states have failed to impose sanctions on Israel and uphold international law, FOA stressed.
FOA's Shamiul Joarder stated that it is time to renew the commitment to Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) this Ramadan. Joarder emphasized the power of the Muslim community to make their voices heard by simply putting Israeli dates back on the shelf. He called for all Muslims to check the label and refrain from buying dates from "apartheid Israel."
The campaign represents a growing trend of BDS activism targeting Israel's economy, particularly in Europe. Critics argue that boycotts of Israeli products hurt the Israeli economy and often harm Palestinians employed in Israeli companies, while supporters believe that economic pressure can force Israel to end its illegal occupation and human rights violations in Palestine.
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