The boycott was supposed to block them: Moroccan couscous, sardines and olives are making a strong comeback in Israel
Moroccan couscous, sardines and olives had almost disappeared from the Israeli market under pressure from the boycott. One year later, all three categories are recording spectacular increases, even as total Israeli imports originating from Morocco decline.
In January 2025, the Israeli website Walla described a situation that had almost come to a standstill. Importer Tomer explained that it could no longer replenish its stocks of Moroccan products because of the pressure being exerted in Morocco. Couscous, sardines, olives, anchovies and sauces were directly affected. Dari, for its part, said it no longer wanted to market its products in Israel. Bladi.net had then reported on this situation.
On Bladi.net : Israel buys far more Moroccan products than its statistics show
A little more than a year later, the figures show a clear reversal for several of these products. Over the twelve months from May 2025 to April 2026, Moroccan-origin couscous imported into Israel reached 1.41 million dollars, a surge of 229% compared with the previous period. Morocco now supplies nearly 47% of the couscous imported by Israel.
Sardines and olives follow the same path
The recovery is almost as spectacular for prepared sardines: 1.25 million dollars in imports, up 163%. Prepared or preserved Moroccan olives reached 5.86 million dollars, an increase of 155%. These three products alone now represent more than 8.5 million dollars in Israeli purchases.
The contrast is all the more striking because total Israeli imports from Morocco fell by 9.6% over the same period, to 107.8 million dollars, according to the trade analysis published in June 2026 by GTAIC. The food products targeted one year earlier by supply difficulties are therefore moving against the broader trade trend.
The monthly files of Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics record imports according to the country of origin of the goods. They therefore make it possible to identify products as Moroccan even when they may have been invoiced from another country. The data is provisional and does not make it possible to identify the brands concerned. The return of couscous therefore does not necessarily mean that Dari has resumed its sales in Israel.
On Bladi.net : Moroccan Boycott Movement Claims Success in Disrupting Israel Trade
The figures also do not make it possible to conclude that the boycott movement in Morocco has declined. They do, however, establish one fact: the three emblematic products that Israeli importers said they could no longer bring in at the beginning of 2025 are once again circulating in significant quantities, with triple-digit increases.