France Acts Against Israeli Dates Amid Exposing Attempts to Manipulate Origin

SadaNews - The "Euro Palestine" Association based in France has called for a boycott of dates offered in French markets that are produced by "Israel" in the occupied Palestinian territories, warning consumers against falling into the trap of commercial deception practiced by Israeli companies to circumvent growing popular boycott campaigns.

The association's president, Olivia Zimour, stated in remarks to Anadolu Agency that most of the famous "Medjool" dates displayed in French stores currently come from illegal Israeli settlements or through entities complicit with the occupation, which engage in systematic deception of consumers by hiding the true origin of these products.

Zimour pointed out that French and European laws require sellers to disclose the country of production clearly and transparently, emphasizing that these laws do not permit the use of the term "Israel" for products coming from the occupied territories of 1967.

She stressed that boycotting these products "negatively affects the Israeli economy," noting that some multinational food companies are also among the boycott targets.

Zimour said that volunteers are currently carrying out field awareness activities inside major stores to inform consumers about the reality of these products and encourage them to consume other reliable alternatives.

She indicated that there are systematic attempts to forge the country of origin, as some packages indicate that the production is from Jordan or Morocco, while in reality, they are products originating from the occupation.

For his part, French human rights activist Bernard Verla placed these practices in the framework of severe "legal and commercial violations," mentioning in previous statements to Al Jazeera Net that there is a European legal text issued in 2015 obliging producers and importers to explicitly mention the origin of the dates, so that it is stated that they come from "the occupied Palestinian territories," considering that simply having the bar code (729) belonging to "Israel" is not enough to meet legal requirements.

Activists believe that exploiting the month of Ramadan commercially to sell settlement products represents a stark contradiction, as this trade generates huge profits that contribute to financing the policies of the occupation, while crimes against Palestinians continue.

Verla described this exploitation as "funding for genocide," noting that the occupation confiscates Palestinian lands and seizes water resources to irrigate the palm trees whose dates are later exported to Europe, where France and Britain lead the list of importers.

For its part, the global movement to boycott Israel (BDS) has called for a total boycott of Israeli dates, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, pointing out that their cultivation represents one of the sources of funding for the crimes of the occupation, in addition to their role in "entrenching land and water theft and destroying Palestinian agriculture in order to marginalize it and prevent it from competing," especially with the tightening of restrictions on Palestinian farmers through a ban on selling palm saplings.

These actions in France come as part of a broader wave of European solidarity, as trade unions in countries like Belgium have previously called for not dealing with shipments or flights related to the occupation, confirming that continuing trade with it constitutes implicit cooperation with "genocide" and blatant violations of international law in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.