Large Dutch supermarket chains continue to sell Israeli products despite criticism related to the conflict in Gaza. Does it make sense to pull these products from the shelves? This question is asked by journalist Noemi van de Pol in an article on the news website "New", BTA reports.
Supermarket chains, including "Albert Heijn" and "Jumbo", continue to sell Israeli products for the time being, they told the news agency ANP. "Lidl" is discussing the issue, but the products are still on the shelves there too.
The supermarkets did not say which products were in question. "It depends on the season. But it's often agricultural products like dates and potatoes from Israel," says Lydia de Leeuw, a researcher at the Foundation for the Study of Multinational Enterprises. The supermarkets themselves also mention Israeli peanuts, peppers and avocados.
Stores like "Albert Hein" and "Yambo" say they comply with current national and international laws and regulations - there are no sanctions yet against trade with Israel and companies can trade freely. The supermarkets also assure that the products do not originate from the occupied territories.
According to De Leeuw, however, it is impossible to see where Israeli products really come from. "In the Israeli economy, there is no distinction between products from Israel itself and products from the occupied territories, which are actually Palestinian territory. A label like "Made in Israel" is often misleading," she says.
Image Concerns
Supermarkets are particularly concerned about their image right now, says David Valentek, a sanctions expert and political economy researcher at Ghent University. It is relatively easy for them to choose a product from another country if the Dutch do not want to buy certain products, he says. "They may have contracts with Israeli suppliers, which makes it harder to give them up. But if they really want to, they have to succeed," he says.
"Basically, companies want to make money. That makes sense," the researcher adds. According to him, if the products sell well, supermarkets have no reason to remove them from the shelves. "Furthermore, some supermarkets may not see it as their role to take on such "political" solutions, because where is the border?", explains Valentek.
According to the researcher, it would be much easier for stores if the government decided that they could not sell Israeli products. "If you want Israeli products not to enter the Netherlands or Europe, a stricter approach is needed, such as sanctions", he says. With sanctions, supermarkets have no other choice: they simply cannot buy or sell the products.
"Sanctions on food from Russia have little effect"
Sanctions are not currently being discussed. However, the European Union is considering whether to suspend the association agreement with Israel. This affects trade relations between Israel and Europe, although it is not yet clear whether this will have a direct impact on products in supermarkets, the "New" article says.
Valentek doubts that sanctions on Israeli food will improve the situation in Gaza. "After the annexation of Crimea in 2014, sanctions were imposed on Russian food. That had little effect, and then Russia invaded Ukraine anyway," says the researcher.
According to him, the question is whether repeating the measures of that time will lead to significant results. "Then it was about apples from Russia. Why would it have an effect when it is about dates from Israel?".
Furthermore, the question is how many products are actually affected. "If it only concerns a small number of products, the sanctions have even less chance of success", Valentek believes.
In 2022, the value of imports from Israel was 2.7 billion euros, according to Statistics Netherlands. Important products imported into the Netherlands are crude oil, medicines and electronic devices, but also fruit and vegetables.
It seems that Dutch supermarkets sell a lot of vegetables and fruits, but it's not that much, says Valentek. Agriculture is only a small part of Israel's economy, about 1-2 percent. "So it's not really a significant part of the economy," says Valentek.
The Netherlands is also one of the largest markets for fruit and vegetables. But much of the imported products are redirected through the port of Rotterdam to other countries such as the United States and India, Valentek emphasizes.
However, this would have little effect on Israeli farmers
However, there is one group that will be severely affected if the products are no longer transported to the Netherlands. "For Israeli farmers, it is millions of euros. Exports are a big part of their income", explains Valentek.
Valentek points out that if the Netherlands or Europe decides to stop buying food from Israel, it is possible that farmers and agricultural companies will start putting pressure on politicians to end the war in Gaza. "In the Netherlands, farmers have also had a lot of political influence in recent years, so that could help."
But according to Valentek, the likelihood of this happening is low. "If Dutch supermarkets don't sell the products, other countries will." Then Israel will simply sell more to India, Australia or the US.
If Israeli products are no longer sold in Dutch supermarkets, it will not have much effect, the publication concludes.