Dunnes getting around Israeli boycott?

international | consumer issues | opinion/analysis Friday December 12, 2003 13:55 by .

Are Dunnes being sneaky to stop boycott of Israeli goods? I wouldn't put it past them. Does anyone know more?

I was in Dunnes in Stephens Green yesterday and noticed that the strawberries had Palestine as the country of origin. This is something I always check as many of the strawberries in Dunnes are from Israel and I boycott Israeli goods. I have never seen Palestine listed before; it is usually Israel, Egypt and Ireland.
I remember last year someone reported that Dunnes had begun removing Israeli country of origin stickers from some of their fruit due to boycotts. Are they now substituting the name Israel for Palestine?
If the fruit really is from Palestine and Palestinian farmers are benefiting from their sale great, but I suspect not. Call me cynical, or paranoid, but I have the feeling that it is a ploy to get around the boycott without actually having to lie about country of origin. And what does it say about Israel if in order to sell their produce they have to call themselves by the name of the country they are trying to obliterate?