Jordan River is Hadiklaim’s flagship date brand, exporting Medjool and other varieties to global markets, especially in Europe and North America. These dates are grown and packaged in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley. These farms are built on stolen Palestinian land and use Palestinian water resources without consent, diverting essential supplies to support a profit-driven settler economy. Palestinian laborers, including children, are often forced by economic desperation to work in grueling, unsafe conditions in these settlements, perpetuating a system of coerced labor under occupation. This industrial model both profits from and entrenches the apartheid regime, while hijacking the symbolic and spiritual importance of dates in Muslim culture.
Hadiklaim acts as the central hub of Israel’s date industry, representing growers across Israel and operating directly in settlement areas of the occupied West Bank. The cooperative runs a packing house in Beit Ha’Arava settlement and integrates fruit from settlement plantations into its global exports. This makes it nearly impossible for consumers to distinguish between dates grown inside Israel and those grown on occupied land.
The cooperative’s model profits from land and water taken from Palestinian communities. Settlement farms in the Jordan Valley enjoy abundant irrigation, while nearby Palestinian villages face chronic shortages. Human rights investigations have further documented Palestinian adults and children working in these plantations under unsafe, low-wage conditions, highlighting systemic exploitation within Hadiklaim’s supply chain.
Because Hadiklaim dominates Israel’s date exports, boycotting brands like Delilah targets one of the settlement economy’s most significant revenue streams. This pressure interrupts the normalization of settlement produce in global markets and challenges a system that relies on Palestinian land, resources, and labor without consent.
To find alternatives to Israeli dates in Canada, choose dates explicitly labeled as Palestinian, such as those from brands like Palestine Just Trade, Lara, Nabet, and Jericho Delights.
You can also look for dates from other countries like Orchid Dates from California or trusted Palestinian brands such as Zaytoun, Yaffa, and Canaan Palestine.
When selecting dates, avoid those labeled "Produce of Israel." Barcode 729 indicates a GS1 Israel product license, but barcodes are not a reliable guarantee of origin.