Link: https://5pillarsuk.com/2026/02/19/israel-is-selling-dates-in-europe-under-false-pretences/

Reports suggest that as much as 50–75% of Medjool dates reaching Europe come from Israel, according to the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI).

Critics allege that a significant portion of these dates originate from settlements in the occupied West Bank.

These dates often enter European markets through indirect routes, repackaged or labeled under alternative origins, including the Netherlands, Morocco, the UAE or even Palestine. The term “date laundering” has emerged to describe this practice.

If accurate, roughly 75% of exports could be of settlement-origin. Some companies are said to mix settlement dates into Palestinian supply chains or route products through intermediary countries, obscuring their true origin to bypass EU boycott measures and regulatory scrutiny.