FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Food

Israeli Seder Plates Might Feature Smuggled Palestinian Food This Passover

Israel’s Agriculture Ministry has reported an increase in Israelis’ attempts to smuggle eggs, meat, and cheese in from Palestine in advance of Passover, which begins this Friday at sundown.

With the re-election earlier this month of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it doesn't seem likely that relations between the Jewish-majority state and its neighbor, Palestine, will improve anytime soon. But while Israelis and Palestinians might not be sit together at the dinner table very often, this Passover, they'll be sharing food—in a manner of speaking.

According to a recent article in The Jerusalem Post, Israel's Agriculture Ministry has reported an increase in Israelis' attempts to smuggle eggs, meat, and cheese in from Palestine in advance of the holiday, which begins this Friday at sundown. Demand for such foods rises sharply around Passover—many typical Passover desserts feature whipped egg whites in place of leavening, whose use is banned during the holiday, and eggs are also featured on the symbolic Seder plate that's a feature of the meal. Meat is also commonly eaten on Passover: lamb shanks are found on the Seder plate and braised beef brisket is a popular main dish.

Advertisement

Those who smuggle food across the border stand to make a high profit when they resell it, the Ministry stated in a press release on its website, and such illegal activity isn't limited to just this year but rather occurs each Passover.

"The holiday season is usually characterized by an increase in the number of attempts to smuggle meat originating from the Palestinian Authority, an increase in the rate of illegal slaughter, and an increase in attempts to illegally produce eggs and forge their markings," the press release reads. Inspectors "operate based on intelligence information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the areas located between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, in warehouses and in points of sale." Last week alone, they seized and destroyed 488,790 eggs, 183,233 tons of meat, and 676 kilograms of cheese. At press time, the Ministry didn't respond to a request for comment.

The Ministry is concerned that Jews in Israel will unknowingly purchase foods that are not kosher, it said in the release. Inspectors "invest a huge amount of time and effort during this period in an attempt to stop smuggling attempts, illegal slaughter, and the forging of animal products," the release said. Over the weekend, they stopped a truck loaded with four tons of non-kosher meat originating in the Judea and Samaria regions of Palestine and detained the driver, an Israeli citizen.

Also over the weekend, a multi-organization sting brought down an egg-producing facility in Hebron, Israel, where 27,000 eggs were being fraudulently labeled as "kosher for sale" using the forged stamp of a well known, kosher-certified Israeli egg sorter. Ministry of Agriculture inspectors, together with Israeli Border Police officers and IDF soldiers, busted the operation and confiscated all the ova. Recently, the Israeli Ministry of Health issued a Passover-specific warning urging people to buy their eggs from reputable stores only.

Raids are likely to continue throughout the week. But the possibility remains that this weekend, at least a few Israelis will unwittingly sit down to a black market meal.