Food industry executives are calling for a boycott of Palestinian Authority items, some of which carry a stamp of approval as kosher by respected rabbis.
One food manufacturer told Globes Business newspaper:
They stab us. The world boycotts us, and we act like idiots and help them [Arabs] make a living.
One of the products on the potential boycott list is the Medjool date, a high-quality and relatively expensive date.
The Medjool dates in packages stamped as “Made in Palestine” carry a kosher certificate of high standing under the approval of “Rabbi Efrati.”
The Gatestone Institute reported this week that Palestinian Authority farmers in the Jordan Valley are able to grow Medjool dates thanks to a Jewish resident in the area whom they told that salty soil was not suitable for growing the fruit.
The farmer, Inon Rosenblum, used techniques to improve the soil so that it produces dates, grapes and herbs for export. His employees are Palestinian Authority Arabs, and he gave date palm seedlings to his Arab neighbors so they could grow them
Jews and Arabs living in the Jordan Valley account for approximately 40% of Medjool dates around the world.