How the BDS Hate Movement Is Hurting the People Who Depend on Israeli Agriculture

 In the middle of a difficult war, while Israeli farmers are trying simply to keep going, parts of Europe have chosen to boycott Israeli produce. People who think this is a form of political pressure forget something basic. Israeli agriculture supports many more lives than they imagine.

This is not a blow to a wealthy country. It is a direct hit on real people. Tens of thousands of Israeli families are losing income. Palestinian workers from the West Bank, who depend on jobs in orchards and packing houses, are losing the ability to bring home a salary. Even European consumers end up paying more for fruit that is often of lower quality and does not always meet the strict standards of the European market.

The boycott creates scenes that make no sense. Citrus fruit is left hanging on the trees because there is no one to sell it to. Crops ripen and are not picked. Packing houses are full of workers who cannot be paid, including Arab citizens of Israel and Palestinian workers. Farmers who invested huge sums in their orchards know they will not receive even a single shekel back.
When Europe refuses to buy simply because the produce comes from Israel, the damage falls on Palestinians as well. Many of them used to arrive early in the morning, work side by side with Israelis, and then return home with a full day’s wages. Now they return home with nothing.

So who gains from the boycott?
Turkey, Morocco and Spain. These are the competitors who now enjoy the markets that once bought Israeli fruit. It does not punish a political policy. It hands a commercial victory to countries that have pushed anti-Israel messaging for years. And it does this at the expense of thousands of Jewish, Arab and Palestinian families.

Agriculture in this region existed long before the State of Israel was founded. It brings together Jewish, Arab and Thai workers. Anyone who knows the fields knows the truth. Agriculture is one of the few places where Israelis and Palestinians meet every day in a positive and productive way. It provides work, stability and cooperation.
This boycott does not help Palestinians. It takes away a large part of their ability to earn a living and even to feed their own families.

Instead of strengthening agriculture as a point of regional solidarity, several European countries have chosen symbolic protest that does not change reality on the ground. The result is mutual harm, fruit that rots on the trees, and a growing collapse of an industry that supports both peoples.

This is not a moral stand. It is economic ignorance.
The boycott saves nobody. It destroys an entire sector that sustains Israelis and Palestinians together and reduces one of the few shared spaces where both sides work and live.

It is time to say this clearly.
Whoever chooses to boycott Israeli agriculture is harming the people of the Middle East. All communities. All backgrounds. On both sides of the fence.
And it shows that political noise has replaced simple common sense.