Original post and report from Just Peace Advocates and Al-Haq
‘Israeli’ alcohol products continue to be imported and sold without opposition. This is despite Israel’s well-documented and longstanding genocide, apartheid, and unlawful occupation. The ‘Israeli’ alcohol industry is deeply connected to these crimes. Without Israel’s settler colonization of Palestine –– its forced transfer of the Palestinian population, transfer in of Israeli Jewish settlers on lands appropriated from the Palestinian people, its denial of the Palestinian right of return, maintained by a regime of institutionalised racial discrimination and Israeli Jewish domination –– ‘Israeli’ wines would not exist. ‘Israeli’ products are the result of historical and ongoing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Yet, Canada continues to facilitate the import of these items.
There are a multitude of impacts on Palestinians and Syrians, both because of companies operating in occupied territory where Israel is unlawfully present (the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Syrian Golan), and also those operating within Israel, where Israel applies a discriminatory apartheid regime on both sides of the Green Line. While only a fraction of the impacts, we’ve outlined some key consequences in this report, including:
• Land appropriation
• Exploitation of natural resources
• Entrenchment of occupation and apartheid
Just Peace Advocates and Al-Haq conducted an audit of ‘Israeli’ alcohol products across Canada. This is a follow-up to a previous analysis in 2019 and 2021, which found very similar results. This year, they identified 169 unique items for sale as “Products of Israel” across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.
Their demand: an immediate end to the importation and sale of all Israeli wine, in alignment with international and domestic law.
For more information and sources, check out the full report here. A summary of the report is also available here.