Costco is selling medjool dates (by Mehadrin) that are being made in the illegally-established Israeli settlements within the Jordan Valley (West Bank). 

Palestinians deserve their right to live and we deserve the right to show our humanity by voicing our concerns for them and anyone else being oppressed in the world.

This product does not in any way shape or form, help the Palestinians, especially during a time where they are being violently oppressed and their basic human rights, even to live, are being taken away from them. This product is only benefiting the Israeli settlers and crippling Palestinians into poverty and eventual death. Any company that agrees to sell this product (or similar items) is essentially condoning the violent acts by Israel and the inhumane treatment of Palestinians by Israel and Israeli companies, such as Mehadrin who have blatant disregard for Palestinian settlements.

I want to petition to have this product removed from all Costco locations (currently I saw them at a Canadian location, USA locations may differ). This product does not represent the level of quality that Costco usually promotes. Many of Costco’s products are GMO-Free, Pesticide-Free, Ethically-made, or Organic, and therefore this product does not tie in with Costco’s mainstream product strategy. 

Consequences of Failure to Remove the Product

If you are a Costco member, you have the power to stand up to Costco as you are paying for the ability to have access to cost-effective and quality products.

Tell Costco, if they don't remove this product from their inventory that you will boycott their products and will cancel your membership and demand a full-refund (as part of their membership guarantee). As this product represents anything but a Costco product should be—failure to remove this product or any other product that represents similar issues, will result in the promotion of consumers boycotting Costco membership and its products.

***I encourage you all to email/talk to Costco that you want to cancel your membership and that you want your money refunded due to these reasons.*** (SEE EMAIL TEMPLATE THAT YOU CAN USE BELOW)

COSTCO ITEM NUMBER: #51119 (may differ for USA, as I saw them at a Canadian location)

General Member Service: 1-800-774-2678 (USA) / 1-800-463-3783 (CANADA)

https://costco.egain.net/system/web/custom/initialPage.html?lang=en-US&topnav=&whse=BC (USA)

http://www.costco.ca/call-us.html(CANADA)

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E-MAIL TEMPLATE TO COSTCO FROM MEMBERS

Dear Costco,

As a Costco member, I expect Costco to carry quality and ethically created products. Therefore it was a great disappointment to me when I heard that you started carrying mejdool dates made by Mehadrin which are supposedly made in Israel. 

Your supplier for these dates, Mehadrin, is responsible for mislabeling this product as “Made in Israel”, producing it on illegal settlements that originally belong to the Palestinians, employing the use of child labor, and the use of heavy pesticides and unsafe farming practices.

Therefore due to these reasons I'm encouraging you to remove these dates from your shelves and inventory, as this product does not represent the Costco brand and the overall product strategy that you have in place. 

I will not fill my stomach with the dates that have blood on them. Failure to comply with this request, will result in me boycotting Costco products and cancelling my membership for a full refund. I will be sure to share my experience with other Costco members and future members.

I hope you take this seriously and understand the practice you are condoning by working with this supplier, Mehadrin. 

Regards,

[Insert Name]
[Insert Membership No]

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As you can see within my petition to Costco, there are several issues with these dates...

1) Labeling is incorrect

Contrary to what is written on the product, these dates are not made in Israel. More than 60% of Medjool dates are made in the Jordan Valley (which is in the West Bank) technically on Palestinian land. [i]

2)  From Illegal Settlements

Israel has constructed more than 200 settlements in the West Bank, illegally.[ii] These dates are mostly grown on illegal settlements that Israel has occupied from the Palestinians, violently. Hence, these settlements and actions by Israel have been ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice.

The reason for Israel to build these illegal settlements in the Jordan Valley-West Bank is due to its immense rich and fertile land. As also noted in a United Nations (UN) document, “this land represents the most fertile and resource-rich area of the West Bank and is crucial for the sustainability of an independent Palestinian State”. [iii]

 As also documented by some media outlets,

 “One of the most restricted places on earth, the Jordan Valley is home to vast swaths of rich agricultural land used by Israeli settlements. Since 1967, Israel has implemented systematic measures to ensure absolute control over the region, depriving Palestinians of their right to their own resources”[iv]

 “While Israeli settlers make up 13 percent of the population, they effectively control 86 percent of the land. The annual value of agricultural production in the Jordan Valley settlements is estimated at about $132.6 million, according to a report by the Palestinian human rights organization, Al Haq which is documented in a UN report”[v]

3)   Child Labor

 It is a known fact, and even covered by the media that Israelis who occupy the fertile land that grows these dates and other fruits from the company Mehadrin, use children to do their labor. Children can climb date tress faster and work for less are some of the reasons for this decision[vi].  

Here are some facts covered by the media when it comes to Palestinian child laborers being used in the Jordan Valley [vii]:

• Palestinian children as young as 11 work up to 12 hours a day, in temperatures that can reach up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 C) and drop to 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 C).
• Child laborers earn an average of 40 to 60 NIS ($12 to $18) per day.
• Palestinian child laborers are undocumented, meaning no records of their hours worked are kept. They are paid in cash so that there is no proof of them working on settlements, and they have no official status, health insurance, or rights as employees. Settlers that employ them are well aware of this.

 

4)    Use of Agrochemicals & Pesticides

In the West Bank, 30,000 tons of chemical fertilizers and manure, and 502.7 tons of pesticides are used annually[viii]. One of the major problems is that 200 tons of methyl bromide is used every year in the West Bank[ix]. This chemical is known to be “ozone depleting”. Israel is also in violation of using this chemical as it signed the Montreal Protocol of the 1992 Vienna Convention, which required all signatory states to cease using this chemical by 2005. Israel is the largest per capita user of methyl bromide in the world[x].

The Mehadrin Company that creates these dates and other fruits, state on their website the use of Integrated Pesticides Management (IPM) methods[xi]. They mention the term “direct injection into tree roots…” while they use the term “environmentally-friendly” they clearly state on their website that they can only “reduce the indirect damage caused by spraying” but not completely eliminate it. 

Not only are these pesticides damaging the environment but they are hurting and at times, the cause of death for Palestinian labourers. Many of these agrochemicals and pesticides are labelled in Hebrew and Palestinians labourers are not educated by the Israeli employers as to the severe impact of these chemicals. The consequences of using these chemicals and pesticides have deemed to be carcinogenic and obstruct natural hormone producing in the body, as well as immune and nervous systems. They cause fetal abnormalities, blood anemia, and create issues on the lungs, kidneys, and other vital organs[xii].

 

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Sources:

[i] http://www.boycottisraelnetwork.net/?page_id=45

[ii] "A/HRC/22/NGO/120 of 19 February 2013." Written Statement Submitted by Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man, a Non-governmental Organization in Special Consultative Status. United Nations - General Assembly, 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 21 July 2014. <http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/30E5EC4890853B4285257B19005CE6E2>

[iii] "A/HRC/22/NGO/120 of 19 February 2013." Written Statement Submitted by Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man, a Non-governmental Organization in Special Consultative Status. United Nations - General Assembly, 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 21 July 2014. <http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/30E5EC4890853B4285257B19005CE6E2>;.

[iv] Elmuti, Dina. "Palestinian Children: The Invisible Workers of Israeli Settlements."The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 28 Aug. 2013. (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/28/palestinian-child-laborers-in-israeli-settlements.html)

[v] Elmuti, Dina. "Palestinian Children: The Invisible Workers of Israeli Settlements."The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 28 Aug. 2013. (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/28/palestinian-child-laborers-in-israeli-settlements.html)

[vi] "Boycott Israeli Dates Campaign." Boycott Israeli Dates Campaign. http://www.inminds.com/boycott-israeli-dates.php

[vii] Elmuti, Dina. "Palestinian Children: The Invisible Workers of Israeli Settlements."The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 28 Aug. 2013. (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/28/palestinian-child-laborers-in-israeli-settlements.html)

[viii] "Restricted Access and Its Consequences." Research in African Literatures42.2, Achebe's World: African Literature at Fifty (2011): n. pag. Ma'an Development Center, 2011. Web. <http://www.maan-ctr.org/pdfs/FSReport/restricted-access.pdf>;

[ix] "Restricted Access and Its Consequences." Research in African Literatures42.2, Achebe's World: African Literature at Fifty (2011): n. pag. Ma'an Development Center, 2011. Web. <http://www.maan-ctr.org/pdfs/FSReport/restricted-access.pdf>;

[x] "Restricted Access and Its Consequences." Research in African Literatures42.2, Achebe's World: African Literature at Fifty (2011): n. pag. Ma'an Development Center, 2011. Web. <http://www.maan-ctr.org/pdfs/FSReport/restricted-access.pdf>;

[xi]Sustainable Environment. Mehadrin, n.d. Web. < http://www.mehadrin.co.il/docs/P212/ >.

[xii] "Restricted Access and Its Consequences." Research in African Literatures42.2, Achebe's World: African Literature at Fifty (2011): n. pag. Ma'an Development Center, 2011. Web. <http://www.maan-ctr.org/pdfs/FSReport/restricted-access.pdf>;