However, as European diplomats were at pains to point out, the new guideline is not meant to constitute a boycott of Israel in any sense.
Advertisement
Israeli politicians aligned with Netanyahu and those very much opposed to him seemed to be competing in their condemnations on Wednesday.
The EU’s position is that the lands Israel has occupied since the 1967 Middle East war – including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights – are not part of the internationally recognised borders of Israel.
Industrial goods, including processed food, are not subject to mandatory labeling under European Union law, but can be voluntary.
The producer, exporter and importer are responsible for complying with the regulations, but it is up to member countries to ensure that the rules are followed, officials in Brussels said.
“Because of the latest European Union decision, Israel is suspending its diplomatic dialogue with the European Union in various forums which had been scheduled to take place in the coming weeks”, it said.
The violence erupted in Jerusalem over tensions surrounding a holy site sacred to both Jews and Muslims and quickly spread into Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Their Palestinian counterparts markedly disagreed. Today, nearly 600,000 Israelis live in the two areas, almost 10 percent of the country’s Jewish population.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the move singled Israel out and was potentially harmful to long-standing peace efforts.
Earlier this week, author Joel C. Rosenberg said the problem is not that Netanyahu isn’t willing to sit down with Palestinian leaders.
An Israeli undercover soldier disguised as a pregnant woman was among officers who raided a hospital to arrest a Palestinian man.
“This also happens to be the view of 99% of the global community”, Faaborg-Andersen said.
The regulations might have negative consequences for the sizeable number of Palestinian workers employed by Israelis, as Netanyahu’s statement mentioned. “Those products should not only be labeled, but should be banned”. And, he says, it wouldn’t only hurt Israelis, but also Palestinians working in Jewish-owned factories in the “territories” and depending on them for salaries and benefits.
While there is no EU official wording, goods must carry the word “settlement” on the label when sold in European shops. Hebron, the largest West Bank city, has been a particular flashpoint.
Obama reportedly rejected a proposal set forth by the Israeli PM for the USA to recognize Israel’s illegal annexation of the Golan Heights.
The boycott movement, which started a decade ago, calls for cultural, academic and economic boycotts of Israel and has gained steam over the past year.
In October, AFP journalists recorded one such operation at a checkpoint outside Ramallah, in which agents who had been throwing stones with a group of Palestinians suddenly drew their guns and opened fire as stones flew at them.
Oudeh called on the European Union to speed up the process of implementing the decision so that the labelling will be clear for European Union consumers as soon as possible.
Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security agency confirmed the raid in a statement, saying that the man shot had “attacked” officers in an attempt to prevent them from arresting his cousin.
Advertisement
Israel accuses Palestinian leaders of inciting the violence. The Palestinians say it is the natural result of almost 50 years of Israeli occupation.
