Produce from stolen Palestinian land ends up in our shops, then in our homes. How can you help Palestine whilst out shopping?

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The UK government needs to comply with the UN and support International Law. Send your MP an email to call for a ban of trade with illegal Israeli settlements.

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Distribute free #CheckTheLabel info cards outside your local supermarket, fruit & veg shops or anywhere that sells Israeli produce. Order now.

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2016 Campaign video
2015 What are Israeli settlements?
2014 Campaign video

Simon Roberts

Sainsbury’s

Ryan McDonnell

Lidl

Ken Murphy

Tesco

Stuart Machin

Marks & Spencer

Rami Baitiéh

Morrisons

Allan Leighton

Asda

James Bailey

Waitrose

Shirine Khoury-Haq

Co-Op

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to urge you to not stock Israeli produce in your supermarkets, which are accompanied by violations of international law and human rights.

Like much of the UK public, I have watched with horror over the past year and a half as Israel carries out its genocide in Gaza and policies of ethnic cleansing and displacement in the West Bank and, like many, I have chosen to be more ethical in my consumption habits.

Israeli food produce has long been directly complicit in the state’s illegal occupation, dispossession of Palestinian land, theft of natural resources and host of human and labour rights violations.

Firstly, many Israeli agribusinesses operate in operate in settlements in the West Bank, which the ICJ ruled, as recently as July 2024, were illegal under international law. Furthermore, the UN and human rights groups have provided a host of evidence outlining how these settlements are central to Israel’s system of apartheid, through which it controls every aspect of Palestinian life.

Israeli businesses make no distinction between goods that are produced within the state of Israel and in illegal settlements – labelling both as “produce of Israel” – making it impossible to guarantee that the goods being exported do not violate international law. For example, 40% of date producers operate in illegal settlements and investigations have found that Israeli companies deliberately mislabel their produce to bypass penalties and boycotts.

Second, Israel’s agriculture industry has long depended on the theft of Palestinian natural resources, particularly land and water – itself a violation of international law. These are appropriated from Palestinian communities, undermining their ability to sustain themselves and making them dependent on their occupiers for their survival. This is further exacerbated by oppressive policies that, for example, denies Palestinians permits to grow produce or access to their lands for harvest.

Third, Israeli agriculture has a long and documented history of violating the labour rights of Palestinians and foreign workers. According to Human Rights Watch, Palestinian children as young as 11 have been found to work in Israeli settlements, picking, cleaning and packing agricultural produce, while many migrant workers have died as a result of poor working conditions of Israel’s farms.

By choosing to stock Israeli produce on your shelves, you become complicit in these labour and human rights violations and contribute to Israel’s illegal occupation and colonisation of Palestinian land.

At a time when consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people and using their purchasing power to effect change, stocking Israeli produce not only violates your ethical and legal obligations but threatens your profits and reputation.

I therefore urge you to stop stocking Israeli produce, which relies on the exploitation of Palestinian labour and theft of their land.

I hope you will consider this and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Best wishes,

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Keep me updated on FOA’s campaigns via:

Thank you for contacting about this important issue.

Please share this campaign with your friends and family.

Here are frequently asked questions on #CheckTheLabel

Seasonal fruits and vegetables such as dates, strawberries, citrus fruits, peppers, figs and avocados.

No. You also need to #CheckTheLabel of manufactured products including cosmetics, carbonation devices, plastics, textile products and toys.

Settlements are built up Israeli communities on stolen Palestinian land. Pre-existing Palestinian communities are forcibly removed from their homes and deprived of access to their land.

The United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council and the International Court of Justice have all said that Israeli settlements on the West Bank violate the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The Fourth Geneva Convention says that an occupying power “shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” Israel has been doing exactly that, since occupying the West Bank in 1967.

The campaign to boycott Israeli produce stems from the fact that a large quantity of Israeli produce are grown on farmlands which were stolen from Palestinian farmers. These lands are now solely occupied by Israelis and the bulk of income from the harvest of produce enriches the illegal Israeli settlers and the state of Israel. Palestinians, are however, permitted to work on the land for the Israeli settlers, thus undertaking the gruelling backbreaking work of farming fruit and veg, while Israelis reap the rewards of theft of land and a harvest they did not work for.

Palestinians will face a short-term economic dip, however, as we have seen during the South African apartheid, boycotting is an effective strategy to stop oppressive regimes. Palestinians will undoubtedly benefit in the long-term with a prosperous economy of their own without living under apartheid and occupation.

FOA has also identified the use of child labourers on these farms. Children who should be at school are instead employed on these farms doing dangerous jobs without adequate protection. Children interviewed by Human Rights Watch stated that they had little choice about the work, as their families lived in poverty. They hated working on the illegal settlement farms, but the occupation has starved the Palestinian economy of growth and prosperity, leaving many in poverty and with little choice.

The #CheckTheLabel boycott is aimed at pressuring Israel to end its occupation, end its illegal settlement programme, end its illegal siege of Gaza and answer the charges that Israel has engaged in war crimes against the Palestinians.

As we saw with apartheid South Africa during the 1980s, boycotting served as an effective strategy to highlight injustice and to ultimately build up pressure on the South African government.

By not buying produce from Israel, the illegal settlements in the West Bank, or in the Jordan Valley you are making a stand in supporting the Palestinians. By boycotting you are putting international pressure upon Israel to end its brutal occupation and to ensure it complies with international law in a peaceful way. It is making a difference. Israel is spending millions of pounds countering the boycott, as it knows the boycott focuses on its grave violations of international law and injustice towards the Palestinian population.

1. It reduces their income as companies stop trading with Israel.

2. It isolates Israel by rejecting it from the rest of the democratic world by exposing it as a false democracy, wherein there is only freedom for one people and oppression for another.

3. It pressurises Israel to change its inhumane policies in Gaza and release it strangle hold in the West Bank.

4. As world governments clamour to support Israel and its ‘right to defend itself’ while ignoring the relentless Israeli aggression and wanton violence against Palestinians, ordinary people like us can make a huge difference.

Through boycott, we isolate Israel and send a clear message that the global grassroots communities will not stand by and do nothing while Israel murders innocent Palestinian women and children.

Story so far.

When shopping let’s be more mindful of what we’re buying!  Always check the label to avoid buying produce labelled from 'Israel'. Many of us aren't aware of the level of trade between the UK and Israel so it’s not surprising that we can easily take stolen goods home.

Contact your MP to call on the Foreign Secretary to ban goods from illegal Israeli settlements. The UK government repeatedly condemns Israeli violations and settlements, but continues to trade with them! Although there has now been a decrease of £230 million in trade compared to 2019, this is far from over and we must keep up the pressure on our government.

Trade is a huge factor in sustaining illegal Israeli settlements. Let’s ensure this ends once and for all! Take action now.

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