Dutch initiative for fifth anniversary

The Dutch BDS platform is working on the “Don”t buy Israeli dates for Ramadan” campaign.

This platform consists of representatives of about 20 organisations, church and mosque related groups and other groups and individuals that work together on the BDS campaign. The BDS platform has local organizers in over 15 cities and towns.

The Campaign will officially start on 9th of July, the international BDS day of action, with a call from all the imams in the different Mosques during the Friday prayer to boycott the Israeli dates. On that day thousands of flyers will be distributed at the Mosques, in the streets and the shops with the clear message not to buy Israeli dates for Ramadan and with the logos of the Israeli companies that sell their dates in Holland: Jordan River, Jordan Plains, Hadiklaim, King Solomon, Kedem and Carmel.

Currently different local teams in the different Dutch cities approach mainly Turkish, Moroccan, Iraqi and Iranian shopkeepers who sell vegetables and fruits and are usually the suppliers for the dates for Ramadan. We inform them about the BDS call and their moral responsibility not to buy and sell Israeli dates. We also warn them that this year they wont sell many Israeli dates, so it would be wise if they bought dates from other places.

As an alternative we offer Palestinian dates from Jericho that are sold through a wholesale store in Belgium.

On 9th of July there will be several street actions in places with many vegetable stores. We will wear t-shirts saying Boycot Israeli Apartheid and we will celebrate at the shops where we wont find Israeli products and we will buy from the shops that sell Palestinian dates!

In Dutch: www.bdsnederland.nl