Key facts
- Nearly 20% of food shipments entering the EU labeled "Made in Israel" originate from occupied territories.
- Settlement goods like dates, tahini, and citrus receive preferential tariff and certification treatment.
- Exporters allegedly disguise the origin of goods through mislabeling, fake addresses, or mixing produce.
- An Israeli government program reportedly refunds exporters for tariffs applied to settlement products.
- A lawsuit is being filed in the UK, with plans for further litigation, to force customs action.
- EU law requires food from settlements to be labeled as such, a rule reportedly violated by many products.
An investigation by the Global Echo Litigation Center has revealed that a significant portion of food products entering the European Union with a "Made in Israel" label actually originate from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank or the Golan Heights. The report, which analyzed over 30,000 export documents, found that approximately 19.2% of such shipments to the EU were traced to these territories between 2017 and 2026. These goods, including dates, citrus fruits, and tahini, reportedly benefit from preferential tariff rates, organic labels, and plant health certificates that are legally reserved for produce grown within Israel itself, thereby misleading European consumers.
According to the report, exporters employ various methods to disguise the origin of these goods. These include listing the actual production site in an occupied territory while declaring Israel as the country of origin, using fake addresses within Israel, or mixing produce from settlements with Israeli-grown food and shipping it all under an Israeli label. Even when customs authorities identify goods from occupied territories and charge tariffs, the Israeli government allegedly reimburses exporters through a state program, rendering the tariffs practically meaningless and estimated to have totaled about €63 million since 2006.
International law and EU policy generally distinguish between trade with Israel and trade with its settlements, which are widely considered illegal. The International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion in 2024 stating that countries should prevent trade that sustains Israel's presence in occupied territories. Human Rights Watch, which is publicizing the report, stated that trading with illegal settlements bankrolls abuses and violates international law. The NGO is now filing a lawsuit in the U.K. and planning further litigation to compel customs and consumer protection authorities to enforce existing regulations. The European Commission had previously proposed suspending trade provisions of its agreement with Israel in September 2025, but neither the Commission nor the Israeli government immediately responded to requests for comment on the latest findings.