Boycotting Israeli Products has a long history in Vancouver

In the late 1980s, Canada Palestine Association launched their first targeted consumer boycott of Achva Halva bars. Previous calls to boycott Israel had been more general and this campaign was to be the first of many consumer boycott initiatives. The campaign met with some success as several small businesses in the popular Commercial Drive area agreed to no longer carry the Halva bars, produced in an illegal Israeli settlement “industrial zone”. Famous Foods on Kingsway, however, insisted on stocking the product, despite repeated attempts to engage with them.

At that time, the bars were made in the Barkan settlement. According to Who Profits, the factory was moved to the Ariel settlement in 2017, and the company is no longer open about where the products are manufactured. In the late 1980s, as you can see in the pictures from one of our members, Achva was not shy in showing that their bars were the result of war crimes “pillaging”.

Ahdut Factory for Tehina Halva and Sweets (Ahdut – Achva) – whoprofits

Achva Factory, Ariel (via Who Profits)