RAMALLAH, Palestine

Two Palestinian trade officials have called for careful scrutiny of certificates of origin, barcodes and other accompanying official documents when purchasing dates, warning against the marketing of dates produced in illegal Israeli settlements as Palestinian products.

Mohammad Sawafteh, a representative of the non-governmental Union of Date Exporters, said that dates produced in the Dead Sea basin area “may be difficult to distinguish visually due to similar climatic conditions.”

He stressed the need for “the product to be clearly identified as a Palestinian product and for the supplying and exporting companies to be well-known Palestinian companies.”

Sawafteh pointed to cooperation between the security services, the Ministry of Agriculture and Palestinian companies.

This cooperation “has led to tightening the noose on the phenomenon of marketing Israeli dates under misleading names and to a decline in the quantities traded from unclear sources. This phenomenon was more widespread in the past,” he added.

He said Palestinian production has developed in terms of quantity and quality, with increased volumes and improved standards, “which has contributed to market stability.”

“There is no longer justification for bringing in an Israeli product under the pretext that it is of higher quality,” Sawafteh added.

He explained that Palestinian products designated for export “are sealed and carry the data of the exporting and importing companies, in addition to completing all technical procedures that confirm their Palestinian origin.”

Verification of origin is carried out through a health certificate issued by the Health Department of the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture, an “EUR.1” certificate issued by the customs department of the Finance Ministry, and a Palestinian certificate of origin issued by the Chamber of Commerce, he said.

Sawafteh displayed samples of these certificates before Anadolu’s camera.

Many differences

Echoing a similar view, Ibrahim Daeeq, head of the non-governmental Palestinian Palm and Dates Council, said verifying the source depends on official documents and a tracking system approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Chamber of Commerce.

Daeeq told Anadolu that visual distinction is not easy for the average consumer, especially outside Palestine.

“Palestinian dates are subject to inventorying of quantities in every farm (…) and the issuance of certificates of origin and health certificates before export,” he said.

“Palestinian palm trees are irrigated from springs and clean well water, while illegal settlement palm trees are irrigated with recycled wastewater, which affects quality and flavor,” Daeeq added, pointing to “differences in color, size and taste.”

He explained that Palestinian dates tend toward a natural honey color and are medium-sized, while illegal settlement dates are dark in color and large in size, with differences in sugar content and nutritional components as a result of irrigation with wastewater.

He added that Palestinian products carry an official barcode, as the Palestinian product is exported through a Jordanian barcode bearing the number 625.

“Work is underway to establish a barcode specific to the Palestinian product,” he added.

In contrast, Israeli products are marketed through a barcode beginning with 729 and sometimes 871, according to Daeeq.

A barcode is an identifying code that carries the product’s identity; once scanned, its data appear, including the product name, manufacturing company and country of origin.

Daeeq noted that the Palestinian product is exported under the name “Product of Palestine” with the Palestinian flag next to the name, while Israeli products may carry names such as Jordan River, Mehadrin, Hadiklaim, King Solomon Dates, Carmel Agrexco, Star Dates, Anna and Sarah, and Medjool Plus.

However, he warned of circumvention, saying that Israeli brands in some markets are repackaged in special cartons bearing the names of packing companies.

“Palestinian security services are working to control and prevent the smuggling or entry of illegal settlement products into Palestinian markets and their export as Palestinian products, and that this phenomenon has declined in recent years," he added.

Daeeq said Turkish delegations visit Palestinian farms to verify the production mechanism, storage in refrigerators and the stages of sorting and packaging before contracting.

“There is a supervisory system overseen by engineers from the Ministry of Agriculture that includes inventorying and estimating quantities in each farm, registering quantities within a system that sets a ‘quota’ for each farmer, granting special export permits for each trader, testing pesticide and chemical residues, and issuing health certificates and certificates of origin,” he explained.

He considered that these procedures ensure that the Palestinian product originates from Palestine 100 percent and protect markets from attempts at deception.

He said international boycott committees, in cooperation with the Palm Council and local associations, monitor attempts to sell illegal settlement dates under Arab or Palestinian names, which has helped curb manipulation.

With Muslims around the world marking the holy month of Ramadan, markets witness a rise in demand, according to Daeeq, who said that more than 90 percent of Palestinian dates are available in global markets.

Jordan Valley and ‘king of dates’

Date production is concentrated in the Palestinian Jordan Valley, which includes about 400,000 palm trees. Around 7,000 young men and women work in the sector, making it one of the largest agricultural sectors employing labor in Palestine, according to Daeeq.

He pointed out that the majority of farms are located in areas classified as “Area C” of the occupied West Bank.

Area C, according to the 1995 Oslo II Agreement, represents about 61 percent of the West Bank’s area and was supposed to remain under Israeli control until a permanent status agreement was signed by May 1999, but that did not happen due to delays by Tel Aviv.

He explained that the Jordan Valley lies about 350 meters below sea level.

“These climatic conditions grant Palestinian dates distinctive characteristics,” Daeeq said.

He concluded that the “Medjool” type is the most in demand in global markets and is described as the “king of dates" due to its high quality, with strong demand especially during Ramadan, reflecting international consumer acceptance of the Palestinian product.