France Group Renews Push for Boycott of Mislabeled Israeli Dates

(MENAFN) A France-based advocacy group is urging consumers to stop buying certain dates sold in the country during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan — a period when demand for the fruit spikes — targeting products it says are sourced from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The EuroPalestine Association, which champions Palestinian rights, has maintained its broader campaign to boycott Israeli goods, intensifying its push as Ramadan consumption patterns draw fresh attention to the supply chain behind Medjool-branded dates widely available across France.

Association president Olivia Zemor told media that a significant share of those dates "come from illegal Israeli settlements or companies complicit in the occupation." She further alleged that some product packaging lists Jordan or Morocco as the country of origin, while the goods are in reality Israeli in provenance.

To press the campaign into action, volunteers affiliated with the group have been staging awareness activities inside supermarkets, engaging shoppers directly and steering them toward alternative products, Zemor said.

She also pointed to existing French regulatory requirements, noting that sellers are legally obligated to clearly disclose the country of origin — particularly for dried fruits — and that items originating from occupied Palestinian territories cannot lawfully carry an "Israel" label.

Zemor argued the boycott is already inflicting measurable damage on the Israeli economy, adding that several multinational food companies have also been placed among the campaign's "boycott targets."

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