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Settlement produce

Related pages: Settlement Produce, Ecumenical Accompaniers, Economics

Latest News - The UK government has issued new advice for retailers about the labelling of food products originating in the occupied Palestinian territories. Read QPSWs response.

Working to stop trade with illegal Israeli settlements

One of the biggest barriers to peace in the Israeli Palestinian conflict is the presence of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Settlements are prohibited under international humanitarian law and they have been denounced by the UN and numerous governments, including that of the UK and the EU. 
 
Despite this, many countries including the UK are indirectly helping settlements to survive and grow through trade. Numerous settlements are becoming increasingly economically successful partly through building up businesses which export products include fruit, vegetables, and cosmetics. However, the more economically independent the settlements are, the harder it will be to dismantle them. As such, achieving a negotiated settlement and a just peace in this conflict will remain elusive.
 
As the products of illegal entities, QPSW considers that settlement products shouldn’t be on sale in the UK at all. We are currently working with others to persuade government and retailers to end this trade. There are a number of ways you can help us do this. 

Getting Involved: 

Using ‘consumer power’

Avoid ‘West Bank’ products when shopping. In all likelihood these will have been produced in settlements. Be particularly alert for herbs, fruit and vegetable products.
 
Write to your supermarket saying that you do not want to buy produce from Israeli settlements. Ask them about their policy on stocking and labelling these goods. You could also ask about what mechanisms they have in place to determine whether goods are produced in Israel or settlements.  
 
QPSW partner, the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR) has a model letter on its website which you can use as a basis for your own letters.

Further information and resources

From Quaker News: Settlement products: an economic barrier to peace

Lots of Friends consider themselves to be “ethical consumers”. As well as being a way of living out the testimony to integrity, for some, ethical consumerism is also a campaigning tool. However, in the case of the Israel–Palestine conflict it can be difficult for consumers to make informed choices which promote peace.

From Quaker News - summer 2009