“We have historical memory of what happened when Europe labelled Jewish products”, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in September.
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The Israeli leader, known to be aligned with Republicans in Congress, was speaking at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in the USA capital. Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon called it a shameful step that grants terror a prize.Avi Roeh, chairman of the Yesha settlers council, said this attempt to isolate us or differentiate us from the rest of Israel wont succeed. He said the biggest victims would be the estimated 80,000 Palestinians who risk losing their jobs if the businesses that employ them in the settlements are hurt.
But Israeli officials called it a political move inspired by the worldwide pro-Palestinian campaign to boycott Israeli products.
Dore Gold, the director of Israel’s Foreign Ministry and a Netanyahu confidant, said several suggestions were raised with the White House.
Herzog said Israel must look beyond the current wave of stabbings, stone-throwing and casualties, the “brainwashing and hate”, and relations between Jews and Arabs being at one of their lowest points, “and take steps that can change the course of history in the region”.
Goods produced in Israeli settlements would be exempted from rules that allow importation of products produced in Israel under lower tariffs, he added.
“We believe that more actions are necessary to hold Israel accountable for the crimes it continues to commit against the land and people of Palestine”, he said in a statement.
“How can it be a boycott, if the products can come on to the market?” he asked.
While the ultimate impact may be marginal, a few farmers in the West Bank could cease activity, said Yaron Solomon, head of the settlement department at Israel’s Farmers’ Union. For more than a decade, Palestinians and their supporters have urged economic sanctions against Israel.
This is about letting the consumer know the product’s correct place of origin, he said.
The idea that all of the West Bank is or should be part of Israel has gained traction, including among a few members of the government.
The European Commission said the initiative is “not new legislation, it clarifies certain elements linked to the interpretation and the effective implementation of existing EU legislation”. They say the labeling of settlement-made products would apply to less than 1 percent of total trade between the European Union and Israel, which is about 32 billion euros ($32 billion).
According to Nahshon, the European Union measure is “the epitome of hypocrisy”.
Settlements also export farm goods, including dates, fruit and vegetables, along with wine from the Golan and cosmetics from the Dead Sea.
It also makes it clear that there are two kind of distinctions between products that should be labeled. mandatory and voluntary.
“Clearly, the territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War are disputed, but that does not mean that Israeli companies operating there should be considered illegal entities”. The product must say “product from Palestine” or “product from the West Bank (Palestinian product)”.
“In such cases the expression “Israeli settlement” or equivalent needs to be added, in brackets, for example”. The Palestinians claim both areas as parts of a future state, a position that has global support.
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The European Union agreed to guidelines under which its member states would label products from West Bank settlements. It will be for member states to ensure the labelling is correctly implemented.
