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For years, the Canada Palestine Association, BDS Vancouver, and supporters have been calling on the BC government to ban Israeli wines in order to put pressure on Israel to abide by international law. The BC government has consistently refused.

This is despite the fact that BC has imposed sanctions on alcohol products from both Russia (2022) and US red states (2025).

However, despite the genocide, Premier Eby refuses to ban Israeli wines.

Six reasons to ban Israeli wines:

Occupation and Settlements:
Many Israeli wineries are located in or source their grapes from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. These settlements are considered illegal under international law and are seen as a key obstacle to Palestinian sovereignty.

Ban Israeli Wine promotional image of a tank in a wine glass

Land Appropriation:
Vineyards used for Israeli wine production often involve land confiscation from Palestinian communities. Palestinian farmers have lost agricultural lands due to settlement expansion, making it difficult for them to sustain their own farming traditions and livelihoods.

Economic Boycott (BDS Movement):
The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, initiated by Palestinian civil society, calls for a boycott of Israeli products, including wine, as a means of nonviolent resistance to discriminatory Israeli policies. Supporting Israeli wine economically benefits a state that has been responsible for Palestinian displacement and oppression.

Ban Israeli Wine promotional image of a wine glass with its top replaced by a grenade

Water Inequality:
Israeli vineyards, particularly in the West Bank, often have access to more water resources than Palestinian farmers, who face severe restrictions on water use due to Israeli policies. This exacerbates economic hardship and agricultural decline in Palestinian communities.

Cultural Heritage:
Palestine has a rich agricultural history, including indigenous grape varieties and winemaking traditions that predate modern Israeli wine production. Encroachment of Israeli wineries is part of a broader pattern of cultural appropriation, where Palestinian heritage is marginalized or erased.

Ban Israeli Wine promotional image of a bomb attached to a corkscrew

International Law:
The global consensus among human rights experts and international legal bodies is that Israel’s actions violate multiple international laws and treaties. Canada has committed to upholding international law and is obliged to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.

It’s time for action. After months of indiscriminate bombing in Gaza, a case of plausible genocide in the International Court of Justice, and arrest warrants issued to Israeli leaders for war crimes, it is long past time for UN member states to put economic pressure on the Israeli government.

It’s time for the BC government to ban Israeli wine in order to pressure the Israeli government and defend the rights of Palestinians.