According to FAS some Israeli companies in the West Bank report of a collapsed turnover in regards to trade with Europe. The magazine also quoted the manager of an Israeli fruit exporter. He had to agree to no longer supply a German supplier with product from the West Bank. According to the FAS-report Israeli suppliers were obligated to sign similar clauses at Lidl. Lidl-information service refutes this report towards 'derhandel.de'. "The fact is that political issues are in no way relevant to Lidl when it comes to buying products. With purchasing decisions we solely pay attention to the competence of the producers and the quality of their products. The production countries that supply Lidl include numerous growing areas in the East and Middle East and also Israel where for example the peppers, avocados and Sharon fruit is purchased," the company said.
Kaiser's Tengelmann also refutes that they are boycotting product from the West Bank. "Political interests or opinions generally do not affect our purchasing decisions, they are focused on the quality and availability of products. Nevertheless the EU directives are obviously always an important orientation. That is why Kaiser's Tengelmann has stuck to the position of the EU and decreased the intake of product from the West Bank. We are aware of the sensitivity of this subject and will have to rethink our decisions," says the company.