In West Bank, date farmers weigh impact of UK sanctions on Israeli settlers

Juicy brown and ripening yellow dates dangle down from the branches of each palm tree at Israeli settler farms in the Jordan Valley, in the occupied West Bank.

This year, as Israeli growers get ready for a good harvest, they are also preparing for the impact of new Western sanctions against settlements, which are illegal under international law.

The UK government has announced an import ban on settlement goods and said it planned to take action against companies and individuals who provide services for settlement expansion, as part of what it calls a “comprehensive reset” of policy towards Israel following similar moves by several other European countries.

Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden have also confirmed their intention to introduce national restrictions, or support European restrictions, on trade in goods with settlements.

Palestinians strongly back such a move, but Israel’s foreign minister called it “hostile” and announced a series of counter measures, including the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem.

Israeli date farmer Avigdor Arbel, from the settlement of Mesua, calls such boycotts “really disgusting”.

Arbel sells his produce mostly to Europe but also to the US and now, India. However, he says the sector is ready for any new UK ban on settler goods.

“As soon as we have a situation of pressure and boycotts, we always break out and look for other markets,” he tells me. “So, I believe that if we get to a situation in which there’s no place to sell my fruits in Europe, we’ll find other markets.”