We, the University of Kent community, and others in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle, have produced this petition to call for the immediate halt of the sale of Israeli avocados in Kent Union’s Co-op stores on campus.

Israeli produce, including avocados, are frequently grown on occupied Palestinian land. Even when grown within Israel’s "internationally recognized borders", Israeli agriculture is systematically reliant on diverted and stolen Palestinian water for its irrigation. The ICJ commented as follows on this matter:

"United Nations Reports confirm that Israel prioritizes the water supply of settlements, to the detriment of Palestinian communities, which suffer from lengthy and frequent water outages … The Court considers that Israel’s use of the natural resources in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is inconsistent with its obligations under international law. By diverting a large share of the natural resources to its own population, including settlers, Israel is in breach of its obligation to act as administrator and usufructuary. The Court further considers that, by severely restricting the access of the Palestinian population to water that is available in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Israel acts inconsistently with its obligation to ensure the availability of water in sufficient quantity and quality (Article 55 of the Fourth Geneva Convention). In light of the above, the Court also concludes that Israel’s policy of exploitation of natural resources in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is inconsistent with its obligation to respect the Palestinian people’s right to permanent sovereignty over natural resources.”

Restrictions imposed on Palestinian access to water reflect structural discrimination—“the water consumption for thousands of Palestinians is as low as 20 litres per person a day.. By contrast, an average Israeli consumes approximately 300 litres of water a day.” (Amnesty International, 2017). Palestinians frequently do not have enough water to live a healthy life, while Israeli settlers practice irrigation-intensive farming and build swimming pools on their illegally constructed properties (Amnesty International, 2009).

The Israeli National Water Company, Mekorot, supplies water to the majority of agricultural export firms within Israel proper. Mekorot has also been implicated in restricting Palestinian access to water, while funneling that water to illegal Israeli settlements. (Human Rights Watch, 2020). We have recieved submissions from Kent Union representatives that Co-op avocados are grown, using water, within the Green Line. As such, we find it is probable, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, that the avocados in the Co-op are grown in a manner that relies on an organisation facilitating grave illegalities in the OPT.

We therefore call upon:

• The Kent Students’ Union Co-op stores to immediately stop selling Israeli-grown avocados and, through appropriate due diligence, ensure that all other products sold on University Campus comply with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
• Kent Students’ Union and the University of Kent to publicly endorse the principles of agricultural fairness, justice and sustainability, and ensure and to ensure that any products or partnerships they support, promote, or profit from reflect these values.
• The Co-op Group to carry out thorough due diligence and maintain full transparency regarding the sourcing of agricultural goods, especially those grown in regions marked by conflict, occupation, or ongoing human rights violations.

We lastly reaffirm that:

• This is not a call against individuals of any ethnicity or nationality. We rather ask for support to be withdrawn from systems of indefinite displacement, occupation, and apartheid, which are unlawful regardless of the identity of the state perpetrating them.
• As members of a University and political community focused on just and moral economic practices, we believe it is our duty to maintain a University boycott of goods linked to international injustice.

Join us in demanding action. Your support is crucial in making this call for justice a reality.