Dates are a deliciously sweet fruit enjoyed by millions of Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan. But what many don’t know is that buying dates in Britain could make you complicit in Israeli crimes against Palestinians.
This is the warning message issued by Muslim groups urging the community to take extra care not to be conned into buying Israel dates.
According to experts, dodgy date packaging is misleading consumers into believing they’re buying dates from Palestinian farmers. Such as using Palestinian cultural symbols on the packaging or withholding the company address, making it harder for wholesalers to know where the dates came from.
The London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission has worked tirelessly to help educate consumers on which dates are OK for Muslims to buy.
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Most Israeli date groves are located in the occupied Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea area, with illegal settlements producing up to 60% of Israel’s dates, of which 40% of those are exported.
The UK is one of the highest importers of Israeli dates according to the Islamic Human Rights Commission. But that number is falling in part thanks to the boycott campaign.
